After the heated UEFA Champions League week, the action returns to the country's championships. In the English Premier League, an intriguing 33rd round is awaited, where the new country champion may be revealed. Experiencing a disappointing setback in Liverpool midway through the week, "Manchester City" will seek redemption at home and secure the title of England's champions in the presence of their biggest rivals - "Manchester United". The Manchester derby begins at 19:30 Lithuanian time. Current standings The situation is clear - "Man City" secures the first place with a victory, with the need to wait for the results of the other matches until the next round to triumph. It won't be easy to defeat their neighbors - Jose Mourinho's team has won four consecutive matches in the Premier League. They last lost unexpectedly on February 11th when they stumbled against Newcastle. In those four matches, the "Red Devils" defeated such opponents as London's "Chelsea" and "Liverpool", sensationally rescued a victory against "Crystal Palace" (3-2) in London, and confidently won 2-0 at home against "Swansea". However, "Man City's" results in the English championships are much more impressive - they have only tasted defeat against "Liverpool" this season and that was precisely what happened. Pep Guardiola's team has also played to a draw three times and achieved as many as 27 victories. In the last five Premier League matches, "Man City" managed perfectly - they secured all possible points. They defeated teams like "Leicester", "Arsenal", "Chelsea", "Stoke City", and Liverpool's "Everton". The "City" team can boast of a great defense - in the aforementioned five matches, they kept their goal "dry" three times. They only conceded goals against "Leicester" and "Everton". Last five meetings between the teams: "Man Utd" 1 - 2 "Man City" (Premier League) "Man Utd" 2 - 0 "Man City" (Friendlies) "Man City" 0 - 0 "Man Utd" (Premier League) "Man Utd" 1 - 0 "Man City" (League Cup) "Man Utd" 1 - 2 "Man City" (Premier League)
Team news "Man City" will probably deploy their strongest lineup - Sergio Aguero, who did not play in the Champions League, should be ready to step onto the field. Also, after an injury, John Stones is already back. The only absence is defender Benjamin Mendy, who is still recovering from a knee injury. Jose Mourinho's team also has major absences before the derby - only Sergio Romero and Daley Blind, who play less significant roles in the club, will miss this match due to injuries. No major surprises are expected in the starting lineups - in the ranks of the "City" team, Fabian Delph should return to the left flank and Ilkay Gundogan will replace David Silva, who will likely be given a break, in the midfield from the start. Sergio Aguero is also expected to be seen in the attack from the first minutes. No changes are expected in the eleventh of "Man Utd" - the usual lineup should be on the pitch. Paul Pogba has had to fight for a place in the lineup in recent months but is expected to start in this duel. Predicted starting lineups: "Man City": (4-3-3) Ederson; Kyle Walker, Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Otamendi, Fabian Delph; Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan; Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling. "Man Utd": (4-2-3-1) David De Gea; Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young; Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba; Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Alexis Sanchez; Romelu Lukaku.
Interesting facts "Man Utd" have lost eight out of their last 13 city derbies in the Premier League - the same number of losses they had in the previous 49 matches. The "Red Devils" have been unbeaten at the "Etihad" fortress for the last two matches - both ended in draws and a guest victory. In the city derby, Jose Mourinho has defeated Pep Guardiola only once in seven matches in domestic leagues (2 draws and 4 defeats) - the only victory was achieved in the "El Clasico" clash in 2012. With a victory, "Man City" would become the first team since 1956 to secure the Premier League title at this stage of the season. The last team to do so was, in fact, "United". The "City" team remains unbeaten at home in 27 league matches in a row - 22 victories and 5 draws. The current winning streak of "Man Utd" in the league (4) is the best since the middle of last season, when they had recorded six consecutive wins. The "Red Devils" currently have only one victory from the last 10 away matches against top-six teams - three draws and six defeats. They only won against "Arsenal" in December. Sergio Aguero, who is just one accurate shot away from scoring his 200th goal in a "Man City" jersey, has scored six times in the last six Premier League matches against "Man Utd".
