What Erik ten Hag could do to help Manchester United win at Manchester City

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Manchester City and Manchester United are set to do battle in the 192nd Manchester derby this Sunday at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola‘s Citizens are in great form at present, having won their last three in all competitions and sitting just one point off top spot in the Premier League table.

Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag‘s Red Devils have certainly improved in recent weeks. Prior to last weekend, they had won their last five in all competitions and were unbeaten in 2024.

However, Man United’s run came to an end last Saturday as Fulham defeated the Red Devils 2-1 at Old Trafford.

In addition, Ten Hag’s side will be missing in-form striker Rasmus Hojlund, who picked up a muscle injury in the win against Luton Town in mid-February.

Although Man United have shown they have what it takes, they’re still levels below a Man City side that won the treble last season and has almost monopolised the Premier League title in recent years.

Chris Sutton thinks Manchester City will win against Manchester United

Chris Sutton, writing on BBC Sport, believes that the Citizens will triumph, although he reckons Ten Hag may just have an ace up his sleeve.

“This time, Ten Hag might try a tactic that has worked for United before against City, and go with split strikers, playing on the counter,” said Sutton. “It’s probably a strength of theirs, playing on the break.

“But United have got some key defenders out, as well as Hojlund, and how successful they are will depend on whether they can hang on in there during the long spells when City will have the ball.”

Despite predicting what Ten Hag could do to help get a result at the Etihad Stadium, Sutton still feels it’ll be a resounding win for the hosts. Indeed, he reckons they’ll win 6-1.

“City will win, I’ve got no doubt about that,” continued Sutton. “It’s just a question of how many will they score?

“If it clicks for City, and Kevin de Bruyne has said he feels like he is getting better by the game, then I just think they could run away with it.”

Man City won 3-0 in the reverse Premier League fixture at Old Trafford, and are currently 15 points ahead of Man United in the league.