Sunday's Manchester derby, live on Sky Sports, is “Manchester City's biggest game”, says Paul Merson, but he believes Manchester United have a chance to cause an upset.
Pep Guardiola's side have won just one match in their last ten games in all competitions. They lost to Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, meaning they still have plenty of work to do to even claim a top 24 place in the competition phase.
It's the build-up to a big match on Super Sunday, with Man City welcoming Ruben Amorim's Man Utd team to the Eithad. The Portuguese's former side Sporting Lisbon beat City 4-1 last month before heading to Old Trafford.
However, United have lost their last two Premier League games to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, while Amorim looks to turn the club's fortunes around.
Speaking to The Football Show, Sky Sports pundit Merson gave his thoughts ahead of the big game…
'This is Man City's biggest game and United have a chance!'
It hasn't been Man City's biggest game in recent years. No disrespect to Man Utd, but when they have played against Arsenal or Liverpool those have been their biggest games.
But this weekend, this is their biggest football game. This is a big cup final.
Man Utd kept Arsenal very quiet in the Emirates a few weeks ago. If they can do that this weekend, I think they have a chance. I would go [Marcus] Rashford, Amad [Diallo] And [Alejandro] Garnacho up front and pace of play, skill and guile.
There isn't much strength between the three, but they have the pace on the counter-attack to cause Man City big problems. If things go like this, I can see Man City will have a difficult day.
But I'm never going against Man City, even during this run. They have too many good players.
'Squad overhaul a problem, but it's not about age'
It's hard now. When Man City really started to reach the heights, every player was a £60m to £70m player. The player supporting player cost £50 million or £60 million, but that can't happen with financial fair play at the moment.
So for me it becomes a problem. I don't compete with the older players [being a reason for a dip in form]I think it's mainly trust. Just six months earlier they embarrassed teams with their passing and movement.
Their confidence is low and it is difficult to play the way Manchester City does. Pep Guardiola has probably never had a run like this since he started playing football at the age of six. This is really unusual territory for him and he has to deal with it.
He comes into action against Crystal Palace [Jeremy] Doku and [Jack] Grealish in the 80th minute then [Matheus] Nunes and Savinho did nothing. He could have made those substitutions at half-time and that worries me.
When you're struggling, you panic and make bad decisions, both on the field and in the dugout. We're seeing bad decisions and bad choices in the dugout right now. Sorry Pep.
'Man City must take one match at a time'
The Rodri factor definitely takes its toll, it knits everything together. When you're reading a book on holiday and they've won the league so many times, won the Champions League, won the treble, gone for the quadruple.
Then you turn the page and the next season, one game out of ten and seven losses, you threw the book into the sea and asked: 'how is that ever going to happen?'. It's just mind-boggling. I never thought I would see this happen.
But I liked what he liked [Pep Guardiola] said [after the defeat to Juventus] – it's gone, now go to the next game and they have to start running. They beat Forest and you thought it would start, but it didn't.
I live my life one day at a time, and they have to live their life one day at a time. They have to start with the Manchester derby, win that and move on to the next one.
However, it's hard to forget the games that just disappeared because they're the ones that erode your self-confidence. Because you don't win every week, your self-confidence is lost.
They need it [Mateo] Kovacic is back now. He's not the solution, but at least he gives you a little more in midfield. At the moment they are finding it difficult to win the ball back and that is also their problem.
It's fine to have good players, but in midfield you have to win the ball back. That is an absolute must.
Hope for Champions League and Premier League
If they get knocked out of the Champions League, I'm not swimming in the sea to get that book out again. I don't see that happening.
I see them beating PSG and the big advantage is that it is in January. If that is played next week, it will be a little different. There are all the Christmas games and some players are back from injury.
I don't see them qualifying and it would be unlucky to get Man City over two legs as well. You wouldn't expect to be playing against Man City in that group [the knockout play-offs]you would expect them to be in the top eight.
I've always said that Man City is a team that turns on in the second half of the season. They win thirteen or fourteen games on the trot and have done so countless times.
I don't see that happening this year. I've seen them against Crystal Palace and when they draw that match the goalkeeper is usually the best player on the pitch and Crystal Palace have tried their luck and hung in there.
It wasn't. They tried it at Man City and tried to get that goal. I know them [Man City] had 10 men for the last stretch, but that just covered the cracks. Teams are currently working on Man City.
'Amorim finds its reliable players'
I'm not sure if Amorim is looking for his best XI yet, I think he's just trying to see who he can rely on.
By the end of the season he needs to know who will be there, who won't be there and who he wants to bring in. Otherwise Man Utd will also play a role and we won't. wants that.
Man Utd is one of the biggest clubs in the world and that's what he's trying to do. I don't think he's worried about his best team right now, he's just trying to see who will be there and who won't, because there are players who have been there for a while and haven't done anything.
Rashford: Who would buy him with his wages?
I don't know who's going to buy it [Marcus Rashford]. It's a problem. Someone said PSG would buy him, but if I were PSG I'd be thinking: 'Man Utd are struggling like crazy, and they want to sell one of their best players and biggest threats' and that says something.
When they try to get rid of him, his pay is so high it's unreal. If you're PSG or someone else, why not try to get the player Man Utd are trying to get instead of him?
I don't see how they're going to get rid of him on that wage, and they're not going to get £60 million, £70 million, £80 million for him.
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