EFL Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg : Manchester United Vs Manchester City Match Preview, Line Up, Live Info

Manchester United Vs Manchester City
SCHEDULE	TIME
MATCH :	Manchester United V/s. Manchester City (EFL Cup Semi Final)
DATE:	30-1-2020
TIME :	1.30 AM IST (UTC +5:30)
STADIUM:	Manchester City Stadium

Full Time
MANCHESTER UNITED [1] - [0] MANCHESTER CITY
Man Of The Match - Matic
Lineup	Manchester United
Manchester United XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Williams, Fred, Matic, Lingard, Greenwood, Martial.
Lineup	Manchester City
Manchester City XI: Bravo, Walker, Rodri, Otamendi, Cancelo, Gundogan, Mahrez, De Bruyne, B Silva, Sterling, Aguero.

Match Preview

Manchester City host Manchester United in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday night holding a 3-1 advantage over their fierce rivals.

Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and an own goal from Andreas Pereira have put Pep Guardiola's side on the brink of a third successive appearance in the final.

With City realistically out of the Premier League title race, Guardiola has placed extra priority on successfully defending the trophies which were won in the domestic cups last season.

While the club have coasted through to the last 16 of the FA Cup courtesy of home wins over Port Vale and Fulham, a two-legged tie with United in the semi-final of this competition instantly raised the stakes.

United would have fancied their chances of establishing a lead ahead of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium, especially having overcome their neighbours just a month earlier.

However, City were outstanding during the first half at Old Trafford, and they squandered opportunities to be further than three goals ahead at half time.

There would have been disappointment over letting United back into the tie during the second half, although Guardiola and his squad will feel that they already have one foot in February's final

Aware of the importance of getting one over their struggling rivals, Guardiola rested Kevin De Bruyne at the weekend, a move he would have felt was necessary with the Belgian having already started five times since the turn of the year.

During those outings, De Bruyne has contributed just three assists, but the presence of the 28-year-old will be enough to put United on the defensive during the opening stages of this game.

Sergio Aguero also missed out against the Cottagers, meaning that the Argentine will likely be provided with the chance to build on his seven goals from four games during 2020.

Regardless of their expected recalls, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will already acknowledge that his United team are up against it on Wednesday, despite Sunday's demolition of Tranmere Rovers.

While netting six goals against the League One outfit can only improve the belief within the squad, more negative chants from the stands accompanied their progress into the FA Cup fifth round.

Despite the Glazer family and Ed Woodward bearing the brunt of the hostile signing, Solskjaer knows that he has a responsibility to deliver an improved run of form on the pitch.

The Norwegian will hope that his ambitions are matched with at least one fresh face before the end of the January transfer window, although that appears far from a certainty ahead of Friday's deadline.

For now, Solskjaer must rely on the same group of players which succumbed so tamely in the first leg, as well as against Burnley in the Premier League last week.

There is an argument that United's style of play is arguably more suited to playing away from home, as shown when they outperformed City in December.

That said, Marcus Rashford - now sidelined until at least April - played a significant part in that success, and Solskjaer is under pressure to find a solution in the coming weeks and months.

Whether or not that materialises against City, United fans want to see signs of forward steps being made, rather than having to witness what feels like stagnation both on and off the pitch..

Team News And Statistics

MANCHESTER UNITED

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has considerably more injuries to contend with than Guardiola with six first-teamers currently sidelined.

Pogba, McTominay and Rashford are all long-term absentees, while Marcos Rojo, Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Axel Tuanzebe are also unavailable.

On the plus side, United came through their meeting with Tranmere unscathed.

Predicted XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelöf, Maguire, Williams; Matić, Fred; Greenwood, Pereira, James; Martial.

MANCHESTER CITY

Guardiola has virtually a full-strength squad to select from with only long-term absentee Leroy Sane unavailable. Riyad Mahrez appeared to pick up a knock against Fulham and was substituted as a precaution.

On Laporte’s absence against Fulham, Guardiola said: “He had some fatigue, which is normal after four or five months. We are not going to take risks. Until we feel he is ready, he won’t play. If he can play against United, he can play.”

Predicted XI: Ederson; Walker, Fernandinho, Laporte, Mendy; Rodri, De Bruyne, Gündoğan; B Silva, Sterling, Agüero.

Sports Track Score Prediction

MANCHESTER CITY [2] - [1] MANCHESTER UNITED

Recent H2H Matches
MANCHESTER UNITED	MANCHESTER CITY
PLAYED : 46 WON : 21 LOSS : 18 DRAW : 7	PLAYED : 46 WON : 18 LOSS : 21 DRAW : 7