Manchester Derby: Carrick faces baptism of fire against Guardiola’s matadors

Manchester United’s new interim boss Michael Carrick faces the hottest baptism of fire possible this afternoon, as his side lock horns with bitter rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford in the 198th   instalment of the Manchester derby.

Supporters from both sides will be hoping for a more eventful Premier League showdown this time around, after a painfully dull 0-0 draw was played out in their last encounter on the red side of Manchester in April last year.

Eight days after the sacking of Ruben Amorim, Man United announced the appointment of former captain Michael Carrick as interim head coach on a deal until the end of the season. This will be the 44-year-old’s second stint in the Old Trafford hot seat following his three-game spell in November/December 2021 (W2 D1).

Carrick returns to the dugout seven months after his dismissal from Middlesbrough, where he won 46.3% of his 136 games in charge, and has taken over a Man United side who currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, only three points behind the top four despite winning just one of their last six matches (W1 D4 L1).

Three disappointing top-flight score draws with Wolves, Leeds and Burnley were followed by a 2-1 home defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup third round last weekend – Darren Fletcher’s final game as interim boss – with elimination confirming that Man United will play just 40 matches this season, making it their shortest campaign since 1914-15.

Making an immediate impact in back-to-back clashes with Man City and leaders Arsenal could prove challenging for Carrick. Against the former, Man United lost the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium by a 3-0 score line in September; they last failed to score in both league meetings with the Citizens in 1973-74, a season that saw them relegated from the top division.

Man United have also failed to score in four of their last five Premier League home encounters with Man City, including the last two in a row; they have not endured a three-game goal drought on home soil against the Citizens since a run of four between December 1911 and September 1914.

Man City’s response to kick-starting 2026 with three frustrating Premier League draws was to annihilate Exeter City by a 10-1 score line in the FA Cup third round last weekend, before securing an important 2-0 first-leg win away against EFL Cup holders Newcastle United in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

January signing Antoine Semenyo has seamlessly slotted into Pep Guardiola’s side following his £64m transfer from Bournemouth, scoring two goals and producing two man-of-the-match displays in as many games to move the Citizens one step closer to securing domestic silverware this term.

Man City boast a 13-game unbeaten run across all competitions (W10 D3) and have not lost any of their last nine in the Premier League during this period (W6 D3). Despite this strong form, the Citizens still face an uphill battle to cut the six-point deficit to leaders and title rivals Arsenal with 17 fixtures remaining.

Guardiola, currently the longest serving Premier League manager (nine years, 199 days), is gearing up for his 31st Manchester derby as City boss. Only against Liverpool and Tottenham (10 each) has the Catalan lost more games against a single opponent in his managerial career than he has against Man United (nine).

Nevertheless, Citizens supporters can take comfort from the fact that Man City have won more Premier League away matches against Man United than any other visiting team (nine), while only Liverpool (41) have scored more goals at Old Trafford than the Sky Blues (37).

Advertisement