Michael Owen thinks it will be the “first time in a long time” that Man Utd fans “aren’t absolutely petrified” to face Man City in the derby on Sunday.
The Citizens have been having a terrible time over the past month or two with Pep Guardiola’s side winning just one match in their last ten fixtures in all competitions.
That has put defending champions Man City fourth in the Premier League table with Guardiola’s men eight points behind leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand.
Man Utd, meanwhile, are having a terrible season with the Red Devils sacking Erik ten Hag at the end of October as they look to rescue their campaign under new head coach Ruben Amorim.
The Portuguese coach has struggled to have a big impact so far with one win in four Premier League matches but Man Utd could face the unusual position of being the most confident side heading into the Manchester Derby on Sunday.
Despite languishing in 13th place in the Premier League table, Owen reckons it will be the first time in ages that Man Utd supporters “aren’t absolutely petrified going into the game” against Man City.
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Owen told AceOdds: “I think it’s probably the first time in a long time that Manchester United fans aren’t absolutely petrified going into the game, believing that they might get battered 5-0. Manchester City are unrecognisable at the moment and I can’t imagine how they can beat anyone by five at the moment, the way they’re playing.
“It certainly is a great time to play Manchester City. They’ve got injuries, their lack of form, their confidence is down. It’s probably one of the most finely balanced Derbies.”
“I know it’s at the Etihad and I know Manchester City will be favourites, but I wouldn’t like to put my house on any result. I could easily see Manchester United getting a result, so I think it’s a really difficult one to call.
“It’s probably the hardest derby in years to call, you would say Man City to come out on top but I’m not so sure this time. Anything could happen. I put 1-1 in my predictions because I can’t see where Manchester City are going to get their next win from. I watched them against Crystal Palace the other day. It just feels like they’re not in control of any game at the moment.”
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