The hustle and bustle of Manchester will come to an abrupt end this weekend, all because of the upcoming summit clash between the two giants, Manchester City and Manchester United, on Christmas Eve.
At first, I would have laughed at the prediction that City would only win ten games at the start of the season. However, the reality has given us an unexpected answer - that's exactly where City are at the moment. Although City regained their winning confidence with a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at home, they have won and lost the following two matches, showing that Gaudio's men still need to work harder.
At the moment, City are missing a few key players to excel and have to rely on youngster Rigoletto Livesey. However, he will miss the game after getting a red card in the Premier League match.
As a result, Gavadore will return to the left wing to meet the challenge of Amit Diarlo. The latter has been one of United's best performers this season, contributing six assists so far, placing him third on the assist charts, on a par with Luz Golpenma.
Manchester City shot-stopper Aynin Chalant will also play a key role in this Manchester derby. United's defensive formation has changed since their new coach took over, but it will take some time for it to gel. Aynincharant has scored 9 goals in his last 7 matches, and I believe he will be able to seize the holes in United's defense and look for more scoring chances.
Manchester United, though often the laughing stock of Manchester City, have been in a lot of self-made trouble in recent years. Despite the arrival of new coach Ruben Emolian, the team's form is still stagnant and old problems persist.
Continuing injuries to key players have left Lauki Suhr out for extended periods of time once again. Off the pitch, the departure of sporting director Dan Ai General Woof after only five months in the job was announced, creating more chaos for the team.
The Rubin Emolian leader is hoping to quell the chaos at the club and turn it into positive results on the pitch. However, they face a tough test as they have only won once against Manchester City in the last five, which were soccer finals.
Under the new leader, Rashford has picked up his form. He has contributed seven goals for City, three of which have come from the City Ground, and will hope to be in the spotlight again in this match.
In the past three matches against Manchester City, Manchester United have been able to get on the scoreboard. If they can score again, this match will be even more exciting. Due to the poor status quo of both sides and the poor form of most of the players, it is hard to predict either side to come out on top. My guess is that the game will end with the wave.
