Head-to-head: Manchester Derby

The two Manchester sides are two of the most iconic teams in football. United for their rich history, City for their dominance in recent years. When they meet up, they create even more iconic scenes.

The Manchester derby is one of the most anticipated derbies in all of football. The two sides from Manchester have a deeply rooted rivalry and have played host to many classic Premier League games.

This is the second meeting between the two sides this season and should be the last - unless they get drawn against each other in the Champions League next round.

The first matchup earlier in the season saw Manchester City walk away from Old Trafford with a 2-0 victory. In fact, in the last five seasons, the home team has only won twice. So Manchester United have that going for them this Sunday.

In the league as a whole this season, the contrast between the two sides is night and day; Man City sit at the top of the league having never really experienced any troubles this year, while Man United have struggled throughout, changing managers, and never fully settling yet still find themselves in fourth place.

So, in the spirit of the next matchup, we’ve looked at the head-to-head between the main players from each position for each team to see how they compare with each other.

 

Goalkeeper

Ederson - 43 saves, 73.8% save percentage, 17 goals conceded, 0.65 goals against per 90 mins, 15 clean sheets, 57.7% clean sheet percentage.

David De Gea - 94 saves, 74% save percentage, 34 goals conceded, 1.26 goals against per 90 mins, 7 clean sheets, 25.9% clean sheet percentage.

Man City are seen to have the stronger defence, as shown by the lower number of goals conceded and higher number of clean sheets. Ederson is less likely to be tested because of the backline of the defence in front of him.

However, David De Gea does have a slight lead in the save percentage department. It is very slight, though. He is only ahead by 0.2%, so it's basically level.

 

Defender

Ruben Dias - 2 goals, 30 tackles, 25 tackles won, 9 times dribbled past, 32 interceptions, 70 clearances.

Harry Maguire - 1 goal, 26 tackles, 14 tackles won, 11 times dribbled past, 33 interceptions, 97 clearances.

Here is the difference between the two sides as shown by their main defenders. Both have captained their side - Harry Maguire is the first captain for United, while Ruben Dias is the vice-captain - so are the best options to compare.

The stats show the two to be rather close in comparison. But the reality is actually that one is last season's FWA and PPS Player of the Year, and the other might be getting replaced if a new manager comes in over the summer. 

 

Midfielder

Kevin De Bruyne - 7 goals, 2 assists, 0.55 xG + xA per 90 mins, 746 completed passes, 75.1% pass completion, 5.14 shot creating actions per 90 mins, 0.33 goal creating actions per 90 mins.

Bruno Fernandes - 9 goals, 6 assists, 0.60 xG + xA per 90 mins, 1034 completed passes, 72.8% pass completion, 4.63 shot creating actions per 90 mins, 0.37 goal creating actions per 90 mins.

These stats show that Bruno Fernandes is the better scorer and playmaker, as he has more goals and assists than Kevin De Bruyne. The reality is Bruno’s stats are better because they need to be.

KDB is part of a Man City team that is capable of attacking through almost anyone, which means as vital as KDB is for them, he doesn’t always need to be there. Bruno on the other hand is desperately needed in United’s attack. 

 

Forward

Raheem Sterling - 10 goals, 1 assist, 2/3 penalties scored/ attempted, 0.57 xG per 90 mins, 2.41 shots total per 90 mins, 1.20 shots on target per 90 mins, 0.38 goals per shot on target.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 9 goals, 3 assist, 2/2 penalties scored/ attempted, 0.60 xG per 90 mins, 3.78 shots total per 90 mins, 1.23 shots on target per 90 mins, 0.28 goals per shot on target.

It may not be a direct comparison, as Raheem Sterling is more of a winger and Cristiano Ronaldo is an outright striker. But both players are the top scorers for their team, so that’s why they’ve been chosen.

Ronaldo started his return to the Premier League off hot but has cooled off in recent months. He has scored only once in 2022 so far. A lot of heroics have come in the Champions League group stage and early parts of the season.

Sterling has been more hot-and-cold this year. He’ll go through a good patch where he’ll score in multiple consecutive games in all competitions. Then he’ll drop off and won’t register another goal for no longer than five games