The Manchester derby has traditionally shaped titles, trophies, and legacies, but this season’s narrative has been different.
Manchester United host Manchester City on Sunday in the most subdued derby of recent memory. There is no title on the line – just pride, desperation and damage limitation.
United are 13th in the table, while City are fifth and still hoping for a top-four finish. Both teams are far from where they expect to be.
Pep Guardiola’s men are limping through their worst league campaign in years. City have lost six of their last 11 away matches in the Premier League.
Erling Braut Haaland is out. Kevin De Bruyne has announced he will leave at the end of the season. The treble glow has well and truly faded.
And yet, all eyes are on Ruben Amorim. His United side have already lost 13 times in the league and are on course for their worst finish in the Premier League era.
Their attack is toothless. Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund are out of form. Against Nottingham Forest, Amorim sent on Harry Maguire up front in sheer desperation.
“We continue going into the next match,” Amorim said this week. “No matter the context, we need to be there [at the top].”
But United are nowhere near the top. They are 14 points behind City. They have not kept a clean sheet at Old Trafford since December.
United visit Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday, but there is no momentum to ride. Despite this, Amorim sees glimmers of hope.
“We are doing all the stuff to be so much better next season,” he added. “I’m not saying we’re going to win the title – I’m not crazy. But next year, we must be better.”
A win on Sunday would offer more than bragging rights. It would be United’s first league double over City since 2019–20 and would inject belief into a broken campaign.
Guardiola, for his part, is focused on the present. “(Omar) Marmoush is dynamic, good pressing, really pleased for him,” he said, praising City’s new in-form forward.
City need points and United need purpose. Sunday’s derby might not define the title race, but it could decide which Manchester side finishes the season still standing.
