Event of the Day: Manchester United versus Manchester City
Our event of the day is the Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford. This is a must win match for Manchester City, who are currently second in the league. A win tonight will keep them in the title race. Meanwhile, United will look to reverse their poor form recently as they fight to finish the season in the top four. This is one edition of the Manchester Derby you will not want to miss. It’s all or nothing for Manchester City as they travel the four miles from the Etihad Stadium to Old Trafford for the 178th Manchester Derby. City ride a ten-game win streak in the league and have won five of their last seven league matches at Old Trafford. However, this match is crucial to the fortunes of City’s season. Currently two points behind Liverpool, Manchester City must win this game in hand in order to stay on pace. A loss tonight will most likely end City’s championship defence, given the ease, on paper, of Liverpool’s last three games.
Meanwhile, a win tonight gives them a slim one point lead with remaining games against Burnley, Leicester and Brighton. Manchester City are unbeaten in the last four matches of the season for the last two seasons, recording seven wins and one draw. The last time City lost one of the last four games of the season was in May 2016, when they lost 4-2 to Southampton. Working in their favour tonight is a recent run of poor form for their hosts. Manchester United have lost three of their last five matches, including a 4-0 defeat against Everton on Sunday. The hot start under Ole Gunnar Solskjær when he was named caretaker manager in December has given way to a cold streak once he was named permanent manager. Paul Pogba, United’s top scorer this season, is 190 minutes removed from his last goal while Romelu Lukaku, who only has one goal less than Pogba, has not scored since March 6th. As a team, United only have three goals in the month of April while conceding eleven. United have fallen to sixth and if this poor form continues, they may miss next year’s Champions League. Three points separate them and third place, so tonight is a perfect opportunity for United to recover. With so much on the line, this is sure to be a derby to remember.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NHL, where the Washington Capitals host the Carolina Hurricanes at the Capital One Arena for game seven of their first round playoff series. The defending Stanley Cup champions must fight to continue their title defence against a Carolina Hurricanes team who will not want their first playoff run since the 2008-09 season to end in the first round. Be sure to watch to see if Alex Ovechkin can lead the Capitals onwards in their title defence or whether Sebastian Aho and Brett Pesce can lead the Hurricanes to a major upset. Elsewhere, in the AFL, Richmond host Melbourne at the MCG. In the NBA, the Golden State Warriors look to end their first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers as they host game five at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. On the WTA Tour, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix continues at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by Manchester United; Manchester City