Man United vs Man City: Another Dollop of Derby Day Pain for Red Devils?
by Bradley Gibbs | by Bradley Gibbs
What happened earlier in the season?
This won’t be the first Manchester Derby of the 2025/26 campaign. Back in September, the pair met at Etihad Stadium, where it was one-way traffic, let’s be honest.
The Citizens made light work of brushing their city rivals aside, winning by three goals to zero. On that occasion, from start to finish, Pep Guardiola’s men outclassed the Red Devils, who enjoyed some promising offensive moments, but were made to pay big time for a glaringly obvious lack of both end-product and defensive solidity.
Has anything changed since September?
It’s just over four months since the teams last clashed in the Premier League. Has anything changed? Well, Saturday’s hosts are no longer under the stewardship of Ruben Amorim, but other than that, not much has changed as far as they’re concerned.
A key driving force of Amorim’s demise was the fact that United continued to struggle offensively, especially in terms of converting chances, which was one of the main issues when the pair met back in September.
From a City point of view, things have changed a little. After a tricky start to the campaign, Guardiola’s men have become far more consistent, while they’ve also become harder and harder to beat as the season has gone on. Ahead of the reverse fixture, the Citizens had lost two on the bounce. Ahead of Saturday’s renewal, they’re unbeaten in 13 in all competitions.
Home wins few and far between in this fixture
Saturday’s home fans will be hoping that the Red Devils can do much better than they did at the Etihad earlier in the season, though it’s not just their recent form that suggests they may struggle to do that.
The recent history between these two doesn’t exactly point towards a happy afternoon for the home fans, let’s be honest. When the pair last met at Old Trafford, back in April 2025, they tied 0-0. Before that, in October 2023, the Citizens won by three goals to zero.
Interestingly, the Red Devils have emerged victorious from only one of their last six home games against Man City.
Starting with the most recent, here’s a glance at the last ten Manchester Derbies that have been played at Old Trafford:
Man United 0 - 0 Man City
Man United 0 - 3 Man City
Man United 2 - 1 Man City
Man United 0 - 2 Man City
Man United 0 - 2 Man City
Man United 0 - 0 Man City
Man United 2 - 0 Man City
Man United 1 - 3 Man City
Man United 0 - 2 Man City
Man United 1 - 2 Man City
Let’s be real, the above does not paint Saturday’s hosts in the most favorable light, nor does it give the home fans much cause for optimism.
The Red Devils, currently managed on a temporary basis by former player Darren Fletcher, won only two of their last ten home games against Man City, while they’ve failed to score in six of those ten, failing to find the net in five of their last six home games against their bitter rivals. That really is appalling.
Will they improve offensively on Saturday? Well, they’ve scored more than once in just one of their last six in all competitions, plus they’re up against a Man City team that hasn’t conceded more than once since the first week in December. Make of that what you will.
