"The roles have shifted" - Dimitar Berbatov sends warning to Manchester City ahead of Manchester United clash
Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has sent a warning to Manchester City ahead of the highly anticipated Manchester derby this weekend (October 29). He said that the Cityzens that City could fall back below the Red Devils in the power order when Pep Guardiola leaves in the near future.
Manchester United will be looking forward to making a statement when they welcome their local rivals to Old Trafford on Sunday. Erik Ten Hag's men haven't had a good start to the season, having won just five and lost four of their nine league games so far. They would cherish changing the narrative going forward.
Manchester City, meanwhile, have had a promising beginning to the campaign and are well poised to defend the title. The English champions have claimed seven wins and two defeats and are ranked second in the table.
Speaking ahead of the Manchester derby this weekend, Berbatov admitted that Manchester City are favorites heading into the encounter. However, he believes that could change in the future when Pep Guardiola bids farewell to the Etihad.
“This is the fact: United are chasing City," the Bulgarian told Mail Online. "You can't say any different. The roles have shifted. It's painful for everybody to see this but it's a fact.
“Let's see what will happen when Pep Guardiola leaves. City could continue in the way they are or go back behind United," he added.
Berbatov went on to say that Manchester United have the task in their hand to turn their situation around and get back to winning the Premier League title. He said:
“It's up to United to try to close that gap as soon as possible otherwise we're risking a period of time of not winning the league… now it's 10 years, we're risking becoming like Liverpool were. It'd be a major disaster."
He added:
“The stadium needs to be renovated, to be up with modern times. The club is as big as the players on the pitch. When you win, you have a product. When you lose, everybody suffers.”
Manchester United have won their last three games across competitions while Manchester City have won two.
How Manchester United and Manchester City fared against each other in recent meetings
Manchester City came out on top the last time the two sides met each other, with Pep Guardiola's men sealing a 2-1 victory in the FA Cup final back in June.
Manchester United, meanwhile, claimed victory by the same scoreline in their last league game at Old Trafford in January. Manchester City won the reverse fixture 6-3.
The Cityzens have a superior record across their last five meetings. They won four and lost only one and have also scored more goals (15) than the Red Devils (7).
With both sides eager to claim all three points when they clash this weekend, it'd be interesting to see who will end up coming out with the bragging rights.