Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola remains wary of Manchester United’s ability on the road as he prepares to welcome Erik ten Hag’s men to the Etihad on Sunday.
United have won their last six away games in all competitions and will arrive on the back of an encouraging 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Wednesday night.
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Guardiola said: “What I have learned from my experience in these kind of games is to stay relaxed, don’t talk too much, talk about tactics and not the emotion. The emotion will be there.
“They [United] are able to go to Wolves and beat them, able to go to Luton and beat them, go to Aston Villa and win a few weeks ago.
“They have the quality and in one action can create something special.
“When they play well, they win games. In 2024, they have lost one game, they have proved their consistency.”
PEP 💬 What I’ve learnt with my experience in these games, [is to be] more calm, relax. Don’t talk about many things, just focus on tactical issues. The emotion will be there. Prepare the game knowing their quality pic.twitter.com/2OCYU3rqQo
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 1, 2024
Guardiola was asked numerous times about the dynamic in Manchester and if Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival at Old Trafford would have a significant effect on City’s top-dog status.
He added: “I expect the best from Manchester United but I don’t talk about what they do. As opponents I respect them too much and I don’t want any misunderstandings of my words. I know them and have a lot of respect for the institution – United, Erik and the players.
“In the 80s it was Liverpool, in the 90s it was United and now we’ve won seven Premier League titles in the last 11, 12 years. But in the last 50 or 60 years, there has never been a team that has controlled everything.
“Big clubs have to win and it’s not easy for United to come from an incredible period with Alex Ferguson and I can understand that.”
City will go into the derby without Jack Grealish. The England international limped out of Tuesday’s 6-2 hammering of Luton before half-time and won’t be considered.
Guardiola said: “He won’t be fit for the weekend. When he will come back I don’t know.
“Setbacks in life are always there, and must be overcome.”
