Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has said that the Red Devils need to control their emotions to secure a victory over Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Red Devils have picked up momentum with three straight wins in all competitions. They have not been convincing, but the fans should be pleased with the final result.
Maguire has had a huge role to play in each of those. He registered the match-winning assist against Brentford before being awarded the man of the match versus Sheffield United.
Against Copenhagen in midweek, he scored the crucial winner in the 72nd minute for the Red Devils.
The former captain is going through his best phase of the season and ahead of the derby, he is looking forward to a brilliant game and wants his team to keep their emotions in check.
He told Premier League productions via Manutd.com: “It’s a big occasion. We’re coming off the back of three wins and it’s one we’re looking forward to.”
“We know it’s going to be a great atmosphere at Old Trafford, with our fans right behind us, they always are, and we’re looking to put on a strong performance and get a result in the game.
“I think you can see what they [City] did last season. They’ve got a really strong team, a really strong squad and a great manager. We know it’s going to be a tough test.
“But we’re not fully focused on Manchester City. We’re more focused on ourselves and making sure we perform to our ability. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves every opportunity.
“You want to control the emotion but you also want that fire in the belly, the aggression on the pitch. Make sure it is controlled and you stay on the pitch with 11 men. That’s going to be vitally important.
“You can really feel the buzz all around the city, leading up to the week of the derby. Like I said, it’s whether Manchester is red or whether Manchester is blue. Hopefully, come Sunday, it’s red.”
United faced the Cityzens on three occasions last season. They lost the first derby convincingly by a 6-3 scoreline on the road but made amends with a late comeback in the reverse fixture.
The club seemed on course for another defeat before late goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford. They met again in the FA Cup final where it was another one-sided contest.
Pep Guardiola’s side only won by a 2-1 scoreline but they had good control over the proceedings. In our opinion, United must take the game to the Cityzens to get maximum points on Sunday.
United are currently five points adrift of the Champions League places after just nine games into the season. They can ill-afford to drop further behind at such an early stage of the campaign.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
