Manchester United take on under-fire Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
Both teams have endured difficult starts to the 2024/25 season, with Manchester City winning one of their last 10 matches across all competitions.
Amorim, who will experience his first-ever Manchester derby, is looking to avoid becoming the first Manchester United manager to lose three games in a row since Louis van Gaal. An unwanted record dating back to 2015.
After drawing 2-2 with Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend, City suffered a 2-0 defeat against Juventus in the Champions League.
United bounced back from their 3-2 defeat against Nottingham Forest with a 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen.
It’s been difficult to take any glee from City’s demise because United are struggling as bad – if not worse – as the Reds sit 13th in the league table. Dropping more points this week could see United closer to the relegation zone than the top four, so Amorim has many problems to address.
Ruben Amorim doesn’t care about Man City’s form
Amorim has made it clear he doesn’t care for Man City’s recent results.
The Manchester United head coach explained that his focus is on United’s own problems and not those of other teams.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Friday, Amorim said: “No, I never think about these things. We will face a great opponent and I’m more focused on our problems.
“So we have a lot of issues here, so I’m more focused on what we should do on Sunday to win the game. So I’m really focused on my team.”
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 11 | 18 | 35 |
| 2 |  ChelseaChelsea | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 35 | 18 | 17 | 31 |
| 3 |  ArsenalArsenal | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 29 | 15 | 14 | 29 |
| 4 |  Man CityManchester City | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 27 |
| 5 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 25 |
| 6 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 25 |
| 7 |  BrightonBrighton | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 22 | 3 | 24 |
| 8 |  B’mouthBournemouth | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 24 |
| 9 |  BrentfordBrentford | 15 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 31 | 28 | 3 | 23 |
| 10 |  FulhamFulham | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 20 | 2 | 23 |
| 11 |  TottenhamTottenham | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 31 | 19 | 12 | 20 |
| 12 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 21 | -2 | 20 |
| 13 |  Man UtdManchester United | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 19 |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 28 | -8 | 18 |
| 15 |  EvertonEverton | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 21 | -7 | 14 |
| 16 |  LeicesterLeicester | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 30 | -9 | 14 |
City are in a different situation to United after winning four consecutive Premier League titles.
A win this weekend would come as a surprise and pundits would be naïve to overlook it as a possibility.
Manchester United face Man City at the right time
United face Man City at the right time
If there’s ever a good time to face City, it’s now…
United can go from struggling against lesser opposition to stunning the bigger teams, like the Reds managed in the FA Cup final against Man City back in May when Guardiola was sent back to Manchester with his tail wedged firmly between his legs.
This is a City side that dropped points against not just Crystal Palace, but Nottingham Forest and Brighton over the past month.
City will be fearing the worst come Sunday and United will be in a similar boat.
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