Man Utd vs Man City : Three key battles that could decide Manchester derby

Manchester United invited Manchester City to Old Trafford connected Sunday successful a derby that could beryllium shaped by 3 idiosyncratic battles crossed the pitch.

United person collected 4 points from their opening 3 Premier League matches, portion City person made a cleanable commencement with 3 wins from 3 to beryllium apical of the array connected extremity difference.

Enzo Maresca's broadside truthful get with the stronger momentum, but derby matches seldom travel a straightforward script.

With respective of the Premier League's starring players expected to feature, the contention could yet beryllium decided by which broadside gains the precocious manus successful a fistful of cardinal matchups.

Erling Haaland vs Harry Maguire

The astir evident conflict is besides perchance the astir decisive.

Erling Haaland has started the run successful typically prolific fashion, scoring 5 times successful 5 appearances for Manchester City and adding different 2 goals against Porto successful the Champions League.

His grounds against Manchester United should besides springiness the Norwegian assurance heading into the weekend.

Haaland has scored 8 goals successful 10 appearances against the Red Devils and volition again beryllium the focal constituent of City's onslaught astatine Old Trafford.

That places important work connected Harry Maguire, who is expected to run successful the centre of United's defence.

The 33-year-old volition cognize that allowing Haaland abstraction to onslaught successful modulation would beryllium peculiarly dangerous.

Maguire is improbable to privation a repeated ft contention with City's fig nine, meaning United's antiaircraft enactment and midfield unit volition person to bounds the prime of work reaching him.

Where Maguire tin vie much comfortably is successful carnal and aerial situations.

His quality to situation Haaland successful the box, support crosses and forestall the striker from establishing aboriginal presumption could beryllium crucial.

United person conceded doubly successful each of their 3 Premier League games this season, truthful containing City's biggest extremity menace volition inevitably beryllium 1 of their main priorities.

Bruno Fernandes vs Elliot Anderson

If Haaland represents City's astir evident attacking danger, Bruno Fernandes remains the subordinate astir susceptible of making Manchester United relation successful the last third.

The Portugal planetary has begun the Premier League play successful fantabulous form, scoring 3 goals and providing 1 assistance from his archetypal 3 league appearances.

He besides recovered the nett against Sabah successful United's Champions League triumph connected Thursday.

Fernandes is expected to instrumentality to his acquainted fig 10 relation for the derby, wherever his quality to find abstraction betwixt midfield and defence volition beryllium cardinal to United's chances of disrupting City.

That could bring him into nonstop contention with Elliot Anderson.

The England planetary is inactive adapting to beingness astatine the Etihad Stadium pursuing his high-profile determination from Nottingham Forest, but his antiaircraft enactment and strength could marque him important successful limiting Fernandes's influence.

Anderson whitethorn beryllium asked to forestall United's skipper from receiving cleanly betwixt the lines and to restrict his quality to crook and merchandise runners up of him.

There is besides an absorbing transportation subplot.

Manchester United had antecedently shown involvement successful Anderson but were not prepared to conscionable the valuation required to motion him.

Now, the £116m Manchester City signing could beryllium tasked with stopping their astir influential attacking midfielder.

Fernandes has 4 goals and 5 assists against Manchester City since arriving successful England, truthful winning this cardinal conflict could spell a agelong mode towards determining which broadside controls the derby.

Bryan Mbeumo vs Josko Gvardiol

The duel betwixt Bryan Mbeumo and Josko Gvardiol could beryllium the astir tactically nonstop of the three.

Mbeumo has rapidly go an important portion of Manchester United's onslaught and has scored doubly successful his opening 3 Premier League appearances this season.

Operating chiefly from the right, helium regularly looks to onslaught wrong alternatively than simply stay connected the touchline.

That question could bring him straight into Gvardiol's antiaircraft zone.

The Croatia planetary has established himself arsenic 1 of the Premier League's starring left-sided defenders and has started the play powerfully for City.

His carnal spot and quality to support one-on-one situations marque him a hard opponent, but Mbeumo's acceleration and question into cardinal areas could unit Gvardiol into hard decisions.

If the City defender follows him inside, United whitethorn beryllium capable to make abstraction connected the outside.

If helium holds his position, Mbeumo could find opportunities to person betwixt City's midfield and defence.

That makes the conflict astir much than simply who wins idiosyncratic duels.

It could besides power however overmuch state United person to onslaught City's near broadside and whether Mbeumo tin find the spaces from which helium is astir dangerous.

United person looked progressively threatening successful onslaught implicit their caller matches, but reducing Mbeumo's power would region 1 of their clearest routes towards goal.

City whitethorn statesman the derby arsenic the squad successful amended form, but if Maguire tin frustrate Haaland, Fernandes tin flight Anderson and Mbeumo tin find a mode past Gvardiol, Old Trafford could supply a precise antithetic situation from thing Maresca's broadside person faced truthful acold this season.