Currently, Manchester City and Manchester United are both in the bottom half of the standings. Manchester City is currently only ranked 16th, and although the Premier League has only played three rounds, it is still surprising. After defeating Wolves in the first round, Guardiola's team lost to Tottenham and Brighton one after another.
Manchester United ranked 11th. Amorin's team scored 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss in the first three rounds. In the last round, the Red Devils relied on B Fee's penalty in stoppage time to defeat the newly promoted Burnley. For Manchester United, the 24-25 season is undoubtedly a very disappointing one. They ranked 15th in the Premier League and lost to Tottenham in the UEFA Cup final, which means that there will be no European event at Old Trafford this season.
But Manchester United has been eliminated by English League Two team Greensby this season, and the Red Devils lost the penalty shootout. After this game, Amorin seemed to have questions about his future. The victory over Burnley temporarily calmed down media doubts, but if they lost to their city rivals Manchester City, these doubts may emerge again.
Manchester United hopes to continue the good momentum ahead of international match day into this game. And for Manchester City, a victory will give them much-needed momentum and really kick off the season. Manchester United's next game is to face Chelsea at home next Saturday, and the Red Devils have nearly a week to prepare for the game. But Manchester City will usher in the Champions League phase in the midweek - home against Napoli.
There is no doubt that Manchester City hopes to win at Manchester United and stay in good shape before this tough game. For Manchester United, the extra preparation time is also very valuable. They do not want to find time to correct their previous mistakes after returning to the Carrington base.
And now it is only the early stage of the season, these 3 points will also have a huge impact on the points ranking. If Manchester United wins, their points will reach 7 points, tied with Everton in No. 6 and Sunderland in No. 7. If Manchester City wins, their points will rise to 6 points, reaching the first half of the standings, and will surpass the Red Devils by two points.
Considering the disappointing performance in the last two games, the victory of the derby will undoubtedly be a huge morale boost for Manchester City, both on and off the court. Of course, this means that the momentum may also move in the opposite direction. For both sides, if they lose this game, they will once again disrupt the start of the season.
Just like Manchester City last season, once the team hit a trough, it is difficult to break free, and it even made people worried about whether Manchester City could get a ticket to the Champions League. Now we have a similar feeling, if Manchester City loses to Manchester United at home, even if the season is just beginning, they will basically miss the league title with Liverpool and Arsenal.
The situation is similar for Manchester United. A loss may rekindle the problems that plagued the team last season, and the atmosphere across the team will be depressed, which may affect the hope of the Red Devils' ability to attack European qualifications again.
No one underestimates the importance of the Manchester derby, but the impact of this contest may exceed some previous or even future games. Both sides must win these 3 points, and it is not a common thing to have this situation before the fifth round of the season has reached.