Erling Haaland will get the first taste of the Manchester Derby when Pep Guardiola’s new striker faces the likes of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in the English Premier League at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Haaland has been in superb form since joining Manchester City in the summer scoring goals with his favourite left foot, weaker right, and headers. City till now have scored 23 goals in the Premier League and of those the Norwegian has 11! That’s almost half.
On Sunday against Martinez and Varane, Haaland is expected to face a tough challenge. The new central defender pair of Erik ten Hag are giving the fans a reason to smile. Much has been said about Martinez’s lack of height but that doesn’t mean Haaland will have a cakewalk.
Statistics reveal it’s extremely difficult to get the better of Martinez in aerial duels, something his Argentine national team predecessor Roberto Ayala — almost of the same height as the United defender — was known for. Dogged and gutsy, ask Mohamed Salah and he would vouch for it, Martinez has found a perfect foil in Varane. Haaland also knows a bit. Last year he failed to beat Martinez during Borussia Dortmund’s 0-4 loss to Ajax in a Champions League match.
Erik ten Hag. File picture
At this point in time, five points separate the two and City with the ammunition at their disposal, start as firm favourites. Pep Guardiola though said his team will have to be perfect if they are to win on Sunday.
United have only lost two of their last eight visits to the Etihad Stadium, winning three of the last four, and Guardiola said he is wary of the threat posed by Ten Hag’s team.
“We have to play the perfect game on Sunday, they will punish you in small spaces,” Guardiola said.
United have recovered from two defeats to start the season to move up to fifth in the table with four league wins in a row leading to Ten Hag being named Premier League manager of the month for September.
City, meanwhile, have started the campaign with five wins and two draws from their first seven games, but Guardiola said the Derby atmosphere should lift his players to an even higher level against United.
“We are convinced of our capabilities. If we act as a team then we can beat our opponents,” Ten Hag said.
Apart from the discussions on Haaland and the United central defenders, there are a couple of subplots. How United negate the threat from Kevin De Bruyne, the man behind every little thing City does. Scott McTominay is in great form but he will have his task cut out against the Belgian international. Ten Hag has preferred him over Brazilian Casemiro and Sunday will be a big test for the Scot.
And then of course the Cristiano Ronaldo conundrum. During the international break, Portugal national team coach Fernando Santos had vented his frustration over his captain’s lack of game-time under the Dutchman. Cristiano was being treated like a rookie, he fumed. Ronaldo’s decision to skip the pres-season is turning out to be a blunder. How hard he tries, as we saw against Spain, it’s just not happening. Sunday could give him another chance.
⚫ Kick-off: 6.30pm IST (Live on Star Sports)
