The 196. Manchester Derby will also be the last one for the long -time Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne, who announced this week that he will leave the club at the end of the season.
De Bruyne will compete in a Sunday shirt against the Club’s crosstown rival in a Sunday overflow in Manchester United’s Old Trafford. The match will also have European effects on the cityzens (15-9-6, 51 points).
The 33-year-old Belgian has three goals and six templates against the Red Devils (10-13-7, 37 points) in these earlier 21 games, with seven of this target participation at the meeting of the Premier League.
This recording speaks for a larger heritage as a basic piece of city growth in a titanium of English and European football. The midfielder played on six of the ten city pages that have won league titles in club history, 13 of its 25 most important domestic honors, including the FA Cup and the League Cup, and the only UEFA Champions League title winning team in 2022-23.
“There is no doubt that he is certainly one of the greatest,” said manager Pep Guardiola on Friday. “The consistency in important games and not important games, constantly there every three days. There is no doubt.
“His templates, goals, vision in the (the) last third is so difficult to replace.”
The injury problems of de Bruyne in the last two seasons are one main reason why the club will finally give up its four -year title. City enters the fifth weekend, almost mathematically from the tracking hunt, but only one point from Chelsea for a top-four finish and another guaranteed berth of the Champions League.
In a similar way, United also have delayed expectations this season and is still in 13th place, by far the risk of relegation, but far outside the argument about Europe.
The Red Devils had almost no production from their strikers. The Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes leads the team with eight goals, and among strikers Ivorer Amad Diallo was most competent with six goals and six templates.
And although Manager Ruben Amorim has developed some promising routes, including an unbeaten league run with four games before swapping the defeat with City on Tuesday against Nottingham Forest.
“I think we have bigger problems than Manchester City,” said Amorim. “You had this moment at that moment – but you have improved. You can play in different ways, it is really difficult to think about how you can face us. You may have the best coach in the world. You have top players. But I am focused on my team.”
-Media on the Level field
