Manchester City simply must beat Manchester United at the Etihad tomorrow | OneFootball

All Manchester derbies are must-win matches. That statement rings true, whether the match is a friendly or a cup final. Heading into this weekend’s clash with Manchester United, it does feel like Manchester City simply must beat Manchester United on Sunday. Anything less than a victory won’t be acceptable for Pep Guardiola’s on such a big day at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City must pick up a victory over United for a host of reasons.

Pep Guardiola’s side enters tomorrow’s match after consecutive defeats to Tottenham and Brighton. They have made a slow start to the 25/26 season. That isn’t a major surprise, given that Manchester City had virtually no pre-season and are integrating new ideas and new players into life under Pep Guardiola. That process will take time. But City must pick up three points tomorrow against their arch-rivals. They will not want to fall further behind Liverpool on the Premier League table. It is only early days, but anything more than a six-point gap to Arne Slot’s side does feel like a massive hurdle. Even so early in the new season.

Last season, Manchester United took four points off Manchester City. A 2-1 win at the Etihad for United in a game that Manchester City were the better side stung. Especially considering the manner in which City’s defeat came about. A late error from Matheus Nunes in that particular game turned the tide. That cannot happen again. In the second Manchester derby of last season’s Premier League season, the two teams played out a drab nil-all draw at Old Trafford. Both teams played like they’d rather not lose rather than try to win the game. Pep Guardiola’s side must go for the win tomorrow against Ruben Amorim’s side. That is their path to victory.

Bragging rights are also at stake. Manchester City and United fans will want to hold tomorrow’s result over their rivals’ heads. A derby always means more to the fans. That will never change, no matter how big the game gets. Both teams also have that to play for at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow.

Summary.

It does feel like Manchester City must beat Manchester United tomorrow at the Etihad Stadium. For three points,  for their own belief and for bragging rights. A victory would mean so much to City as they continue their rebuild and look to build into the 25/26 season. We have already seen Erling Haaland challenge his teammates to snap out of their mini-slump. Tomorrow’s clash with Manchester United is the perfect stage to do so in a game that Manchester City simply must win.