Exciting battle of Manchester

Man City have dominated English football for nearly a decade. Having just made a great acceleration to finish the Premier League with the championship for the third consecutive season, "The Citizens" can completely raise the FA Cup for the 7th time this weekend if they overcome their "arch-rival" Man United at the "holy land" Wembley.

Man City not only has striker Erling Haaland who is capable of threatening Man United's defense. (Photo: REUTERS)

If Man City's attacking power is number 1, Man United is even the weakest team in the "Big Six" in terms of scoring goals. David de Gea may win the "Golden Glove" award with a record of keeping 17 clean sheets all season, but Man United is still the team that concedes the most goals compared to the other 5 teams in the top group of the league. Of course, along with that is the "Red Devils" possessing the worst goal difference - while Man City is the most superior in this aspect.

The contrasting warm-up performances in the final round of the Premier League last weekend did not mean much for either side ahead of the FA Cup final. The Blues were defeated by Brentford in a match that was only a formality. Meanwhile, the Red Devils struggled to beat Fulham to secure third place overall, despite having to strain their key players, including Anthony Martial's more serious injury than expected.

Man City are rated much higher than their neighboring rivals, but Man United's progress this season cannot be underestimated. Under the flexible guidance of Erik ten Hag, Man United is having the best version in the past 10 years, since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Even coach Pep Guardiola had to admit that Man United is truly formidable and Man City has had the best preparation before the reunion at Wembley on the night of June 3.

Coach Pep Guardiola's caution is not unnecessary, especially when looking back at the encounters between the two sides in recent seasons. Not many people believe that the two sides are actually evenly matched in the last 11 confrontations in all competitions, meaning each side won 5 matches and the remaining match ended in a draw.

Man City had a resounding 6-3 victory over Man United at the beginning of the season when the "Red Devils" were still unstable. Coach Pep Guardiola's students lost 1-2 in early 2023 and that was one of the rare defeats that made Man City almost run out of breath when competing for the championship with Arsenal.

In other words, although being underestimated in many aspects compared to Man City in the battle on the night of June 3, in a specific match, in the cup format to compete for the championship, Man United still has its own chance, the first of which is the usual restraint in derby matches, the great battle between opponents who are too familiar with each other.

The depth of the squad is not comparable, the destructive power is not stronger, but Man United has the motivation to win the cup, not to mention the desire to compete with their "arch-rival", enough for them to confidently create a surprise. On a day of sublimation and best form, coach Erik ten Hag and his team can completely make the Premier League champions regret at the end of the 2022-2023 season.

Bruno Fernandes threatens to ruin Man City's "treble" goal. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola possesses "heavy weapons" like Erling Haaland - Julian Alvarez and the launching pad for this striker pair is the "super-powerful" midfielder squad Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/the-thao/hap-dan-dai-chien-thanh-manchester-2023060221231938.htm