MX23RW : Tuesday, November 5 14:44:24| >> :120:4032:4032:

Manchester United's Louis van Gaal: 'Man City not in good form ahead of derby'

Louis van Gaal believes that it is "possible" for Manchester United to beat Manchester City due to their rivals' recent poor form.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes that his team can capitalise on Manchester City's recent poor results when they go head to head at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Last season's champions are heading into the derby on the back of a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United and a 2-1 loss at the hands of Newcastle United in the Capital One Cup.

United are currently four points behind their rivals in the league, but Van Gaal, who admits that he understands the intense rivalry between the clubs, believes that his side can grab all three points.

"This is the biggest derby that I shall manage," Van Gaal told reporters. "It is one of 38 [league] matches we have to play, but for the fans it is unbelievably big as a rivalry and I have felt that also with a lot of the players in the squad, but also especially with Ryan Giggs. When he presented the analysis on City, I felt more tension with him. It was good to see."

When asked if he expects United to win, Van Gaal said: "That is our goal, to win. It is possible, we are growing, we are developing ourselves. What we have seen of City in the last few matches was not so good. You never know."

United captain Wayne Rooney has been declared fit for the encounter while Radamel Falcao misses out with injury.

ID:185643: cacheID:185643:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2885:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United's English striker Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford in Manchester on September 27, 2014
Read Next:
Preview: Man City vs. Man United
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!