Manchester derby: United beating City does not sound so strange after Champions League win over Juventus
Red Devils have momentum and Romelu Lukaku's absence as well as Victor Lindelof's form could be key to success
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MANCHESTER CITY head into Sunday's derby as deserved and clear favourites.
It would take a brave person to bet against Pep Guardiola’s team winning the Premier League title again, having started this campaign like they finished the last, in scintillating form.
But this City team, as Lyon showed in the Champions League, are far from unbeatable.
And they’ll be meeting a Manchester United XI who might just feel like they have turned a bit of a psychological corner.
Six weeks ago, you wondered if Jose Mourinho would make it to Christmas.
But after a run of positive results, they sit as huge favourites alongside Juventus to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League, and find themselves right back in the race to finish in the top four in the Premier League.
United left the Etihad with all three points on their last trip across the city, and the result against Juventus in Turin on Wednesday shows they do still have the capability on their day of competing with, and beating, the very best sides in Europe.
Romelu Lukaku is back in training but should he not be fit by Sunday, his absence looks like a bit of a blessing, with the side now playing with a greater freedom in the final third.
Although struggling to find the net, Alexis Sanchez is definitely showing more promising signs as the central striker, and Anthony Martial has found some devastating consistency that even Juventus’ experienced defenders found difficult to control.
Marcus Rashford is another who is benefiting from the Belgium striker's time out, with the youngster getting more opportunities in a variety of forward positions, rather than just wide.
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After the 2-1 win at Bournemouth, Mourinho admitted to a change of approach, and the importance of trying to find a balance between defending and creating chances.
United certainly rode their luck in Turin before and after Cristiano Ronaldo’s sublime opener, but Mourinho’s third season at United won’t be judged on one night.
As it stands, there’s much more work to do in the Premier League, and qualification for the Champions League is the minimum requirement if he wants to keep hold of his job beyond next summer.
What’s also helping him though is the improved form of the much criticised Victor Lindelof.
Like Mourinho, it looked at one point like there was no way back for the Swede, but alongside Chris Smalling there are signs a partnership is developing, and one which Mourinho will try to stick with until the January transfer window at least.
So things are starting to improve, and the season might not peter out into the non-event many supporters feared.
United to win on Sunday? All of a sudden, it doesn’t sound so strange.
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