Blue chews-daze: The Trafford v Manchester Derby

· Red versus Blue

· One side trying to find some consistent form versus…a side trying to find some consistent form

· One team with just domestic league pride to play for versus a team desperate to finish in a Champions League position

Flip a coin for this outcome! 🤪

Quick check back…

Two back-to-back wins achieved…but wasn’t it sad and disappointing that we didn’t “burn” Leicester last Wednesday, as one other City fan put it?

With goal difference quite likely to prove pivotal in a couple of months’ time, that was a wasted opportunity against a side who were simply there for the taking.

Still, I’ll take the two wins on the trot and 3 points in the league, especially with Bournemouth and Brighton both losing in midweek.

And…Bobb’s back! 😊

v Manyoo

Scaffold Trafford

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 8/11).

A very fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3:

____________________Marmoush___________________

Grealish____________________________________Doku

________De Bruyne_______________Silva____________

____________________Gonzalez____________________

O’Reilly____________________________________Lewis

__________Gvardiol______________Dias_____________

____________________Ederson_____________________

Subs: Ortega, Khusanov, Reis, Kovacic, Gundogan, Nunes, Foden, Bobb and Savinho.

Ederson between the sticks.

Josko to be given his second, back-to-back outing in his more natural position of central defence? Well, with attacking midfielder, Nico O’Reilly, now doing a pretty good impression of a left-wing back then why not? I can see Pep thinking the same. Ruben and Rico to join ‘em, I’m guessing (surely the Matheus Nunes right-wing back experiment has failed and won’t be attempted again).

Nico to patrol in front of those.

Ahead of the Spanish defensive midfielder I’m going for Jack to start once again but, this time, being asked to slip back out to the left; Kevin and Bernardo in the middle with Jeremy on the right.

Stefan is reserve stopper; Abdukodir and Vitor are two defenders on the side waiting for their turn should they be needed. Mateo, Ilkay, Matheus and Phil make up four midfielders in ‘the 9’, while both Oscar and Savinho give us two different wing options.

Notable absences:

- John Stones – Out with a thigh injury for another 2-½ to 4-½ weeks, going off the initial assessment and timescale information given.

- Manuel Akanji – Initial thoughts were that he could be out for the rest of the season after badly damaging his abductor muscle, for which he had surgery on 15^th February. However, an update from his manager on 1^st April confirmed that the Swiss international was making progress and feeling better. Return date unknown but it sounds like we might see him back in action over the coming weeks.

- Nathan Ake – Recovering from a fractured foot, for which he has had surgery. This one sounded like it could be a season-ending injury.

- Rodri – Continues to train as he maintains his long journey back to fitness following an ACL injury last September.

- James McAtee – Not selected.

- Erling Haaland – Out for the majority of the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?

Some question marks about the flanks of our defence (isn't there always?) but, generally speaking, that’ll do for me.

Result?

This is probably going to be the briefest result section I’ve ever done.

In a lot of ways as I finish this piece off on the morning of the game, it doesn’t even FEEL like derby day to me for whatever reason. Perhaps that’ll change as 4:30pm approaches.

I just can’t call it either way and, therefore, I’m going for a draw and hope, in the right way of course, that I’m wrong.

Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result:

Prediction: Draw

Result: Won

(Pre-match blog posting from that game)

Expected weather conditions during the game: During this fine, settled period of dry weather it’s more of the same for the match - wall-to-wall blue skies and bright sunshine. 15C is the forecasted temperature with that continuous easterly breeze just shaving the edge off it by a couple of Celsius (feels like 13C and might be a little nippy if your stand is in the shade). ☀😎🥧🍺⚽