Derby Day: First Manchester clash between Amorim & Guardiola
United face City at the Etihad at 4:30
Last updated 15th Dec 2024
Rubin Amorim will take charge of United for their first Manchester Derby since he took charger later.
The recently appointed 39-year-old head coach is looking for a statement performance as the Red Devils travel to the Etihad Stadium for his first all-Manchester clash in the hotseat.
Sunday's match is intriguingly poised given reigning Premier League champions City have won just one of their last 10 games in all competitions, losing seven of those matches.
Meanwhile, United may be buoyed by Thursday's 2-1 Europa League comeback win at Viktoria Plzen but losses to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest leaves them with their lowest points tally at this stage of a season since 1986.
"I am always looking forward to coaching Manchester United, especially in the derby, but we have so much to focus (on)," head coach Amorim told MUTV.
"We are focused on to improve day by day, and we want to see different things.
"I think we did a good job in the first half against Arsenal (in an eventual 2-0 loss), so we have that ability, we have players to do it, and we will try to do it again and try to win the game."
Asked how much the late victory in the Czech Republic boosts United, he said: "It's so important when you go to prepare the next game you have the feeling of winning.
"You don't (get) carried away about the winning - we should win this type of game that we had Thursday - so now we're going to another game, we need to win.
"We lost the other two in the Premier League. We have to have this feeling of winning these kind of games, and we will be ready.
"Of course, we know that we have a lot to improve, a lot of things are changing here, but we will fight for the game."
"We have so much to do here, in my mind only (this) exists.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola has mulling over how best to cope with Manchester City's defensive problems.
Guardiola expects to have only three available defenders in Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, with Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and John Stones injured and Rico Lewis suspended following his red card in last weekend's draw with Crystal Palace.
Akanji is the latest player to have joined the injury list after coming off at half-time against Nottingham Forest earlier this month with what Guardiola revealed is an abdominal issue.
"Manu is a strong player and so reliable but in that moment he cannot be that," said the City boss.
"I don't know what I have to do. I need players. We will see what happens today and tomorrow, the players we have. Maybe some winger has to play as a full-back or Matheus (Nunes) maybe can play as a full-back, or maybe play with five at the back when wing-backs are wingers."
"We are sad, I'm sad for the players because the way they run and they fight with the circumstances they have. Our fans, maybe they are sad, I understand completely because maybe we lose seven games, eight games in one season or in two seasons, and now a month and a half.
"But they know this group of players have made an era that no-one has done. The numbers and records, now negative ones but the positive ones, I encourage them (the fans) to support them until the end because they deserve it.
"It made me reflect that maybe with this calendar you need a squad with 25, 30 players. It will be more difficult financially for the club. People say, 'What is the problem?' The problem is the schedule.
"Sooner or later it will happen for all clubs. When we won the treble, the four domestics, we have one, two, three injuries, but we were so stable. That's why we could compete, and now we cannot. We can survive."
Guardiola believes Amorim is already imposing his style on United, saying: "It's already there, all the patterns. How good the movement is and the runners and the pace. He will do a good job, I'm pretty sure of that."
The pair have already come up against each other this season, with Amorim's Sporting Lisbon running out 4-1 winners in the Champions League last month, but Guardiola said: "I would like to play the game like we played in Lisbon on Sunday.
"The way we played. I don't know if we will be able to do it for many reasons but we'll see."
He remains positive about the intent of his side, adding: "I'm really pleased for the way we played.
"And I have a certain moral authority because of what happened in my career as a football player and manager, the titles we won, that I know perfectly when we are playing good or not good.
"We have to shoot more in the final third, we have to defend better, we have to avoid mistakes in both sides, but the game is there. Move forward, keep working, this is what we have to do."