Erik vs Pep: The battle for Manchester

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Erik Ten Hag will meet Pep Guardiola for the second time as Manchester United manager with the Red Devils and the Citizens going head to head at Old Trafford this weekend.

In their first meeting of the campaign at the Etihad – Guardiola’s side ran riot – with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden completing a hat-trick a piece, cruising to a 6-3 demolition of a struggling United outfit.

Despite a rough start to the season, Erik Ten Hag’s revolution has gained momentum with the likes of Marcus Rashford finally showing some consistency in front of goal and summer signing Casemiro showing a dominance in midfield United fans have not seen since the legendary Roy Keane.

United have struggled in this fixture in recent years, suffering defeat in four of their last five meetings in the Premier League, with their last victory coming nearly two years ago in March 2021 in a 2-0 victory at the Etihad.

A reinvigorated Old Trafford will be key as Erik Ten Hag’s side will have to show fight and determination to beat arguably the best side in world football, Manchester City, who have only failed to score once this season in a shocking 1-0 defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s deflated Liverpool at Anfield.

This fixture has huge implications for the title race as a victory for City will place them two points behind Mikel Arteta’s Gunners. Victory for United will place them just a single point behind their local rivals City, showing that despite the poor start to the season, Erik Ten Hag has started to slowly close the gap in Manchester.

Photo: Twitter @AliceTalksFooty

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Dylan Johnson