Manchester City host Manchester United on November 11, 2018, Sunday for season's first Manchester Derby 2018. The Manchester Derby is one of the most unpredictable games of the English top flight because of form matters for less in these games. Manchester City have come out from the shadows of their illustrious neighbour and are ahead of them in every department for the best part of five years now. The Red Devils will have pride at stake, and a win could see them just six points off City, which can always be caught up in a long season. But a defeat is detrimental to United as the top four have started to break away from the rest of the pack. So who all are the players that can have a say in the outcome of this crucial Manchester Derby. We have come up with a list of the top 5 players to watch out for in the fiery clash at Etihad Stadium. Manchester City vs Manchester United - Live Football Score, Match 120 - Summary and Highlights.
Anthony Martial
The Anthony Martial of old has started to turn up week in week out for Jose Mourinho and is looking sharp on the pitch. The Frenchman has scored five goals in six games and is the creative outlet of the team. Against City, he will be up against Kyle Walker who loves to push forward and is susceptible to mistakes. United will be hoping Anthony Martial has a good outing as it will go a long way in securing a positive result for them.
Paul Pogba
The heart and brain of this Manchester United team, the young French midfielder makes the whole team tick. He scored a brace the last time his team won at Etihad stadium, and although he may not push forward like he did last time, Pogba will have to control the game. His long-range passing can come in handy for the Red Devils as possession will be dominated by their more fancied opposition. He has also been involved with a lot of goals and could feed the likes of Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez for goal scoring opportunities.
Fernandinho
The Brazilian has been nicknamed the ‘Smiling Assassin’ because of his ability to go for those crunching tackles without a strain on his face. He is Manchester City’s rock in the midfield who protects the back four and help his team push up. The attackers then play their role with ease as they know someone of the calibre of Fernandinho is present to recover the ball. He will come up against Ander Herrera of Manchester United who will be given a similar role by Jose Mourinho and makes up for a fantastic battle.
Sergio Aguero
The Manchester City legend is this season’s top scorer so far with seven goals and was not part of the midweek Champions League game. A good rest would have done a world of good as he seeks his first goal against United in four games. It is not as if Kun does not have a good scoring record against the Red Devils, he has scored seven past them in all competition. His movement and desire is tremendous and could catch the opposition back four cold. With United susceptible to errors, Sergio Aguero can really dent them big time.
David Silva
Of all the players that will take part in the Manchester Derby, there is none like David Silva. His reading of the game combined with his technical abilities makes him a nightmare for any opposition manager. The best part about the Spanish playmaker is he drifts in all areas of the opposition half and as such marking him will not be easy. He scores important goals too, and the Red Devils will need to have a perfect game in order to keep David Silva at bay.
These are some of the key men who we think can impact the game for their respective teams more than the others. City are overwhelming favourites for the tie, but Manchester United have shown they have the ability to dig in and get the results.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 11, 2018 01:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).