Manchester derby highlights fallen giants’ struggles

The 196th Manchester derby on April 6 (11.30pm Malaysian time) pits two giants of the English Premier League against each other.

But Manchester United has fallen so far down the pecking order that it has resorted to cutting ticket prices to attract a full house. Reports from Manchester on March 31 revealed that United had reduced ticket prices from £66 to £40, with concessions set at £25 for children and supporters over 65.

United sits 13th in the league with 37 points, having suffered 13 defeats in 30 games. It has won 10 and drawn seven. City, meanwhile, is fifth on 51 points. Liverpool leads the table with 73 points, followed by Arsenal (61), Nottingham Forest (57), and Chelsea (52).

Both Manchester clubs’ only hope for silverware lies in cup competitions. City is in the FA Cup semi-finals, while United is in the Europa League quarter-finals.

Despite its poor form, United still leads the head-to-head record against City with 80 wins to 62, with 53 draws. The Red Devils pulled off a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory the last time the teams met in December, scoring in the 88th and 90th minutes.

The first competitive meeting between the sides was in 1891, when City was called Ardwick AFC and United was known as Newton Heath. That FA Cup first-round qualifying match saw Newton Heath win 5-1.

United heads into this clash after a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, while City beat Leicester 2-0. However, City’s win came with bad news as Erling Haaland suffered an ankle injury. Pep Guardiola confirmed the Norwegian could be out for up to seven weeks.

City is also without defenders Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji, while John Stones has not played since sustaining an injury in the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid in February.

For United, Kobbie Mainoo may return after missing the Forest match, but Ayden Heaven and Luke Shaw are unlikely to feature.

Stats to ponder ahead of the derby:

• The widest margin of victory in a Manchester derby is five goals, with City achieving that feat three times and United once.

• The highest-scoring Manchester derby was in October 2022, when City beat United 6-3 at the Etihad, with Haaland and Phil Foden both scoring hattricks.

• Wayne Rooney is the top scorer in Manchester derby history with 11 goals. City’s Joe Hayes and Francis Lee each scored 10.

Elsewhere, Liverpool continues its march towards a record-equalling 20th league title with a trip to Fulham. The Reds need 13 points from their last eight games to match United’s record of 20 top-flight titles, last won in 2013.

Fixtures (Malaysian time):

April 5 Everton vs Arsenal (7.30pm) Ipswich vs Wolves (10pm) Crystal Palace vs Brighton (10pm) West Ham vs Bournemouth (10pm)

April 6 Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest (12.30am) Tottenham vs Southampton (9pm) Brentford vs Chelsea (9pm) Fulham vs Liverpool (9pm) Manchester United vs Manchester City (11.30pm)

April 8 Leicester vs Newcastle (3am)