Manchester City midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi has called Sunday's derby against Manchester United "the most important game of the year," as City look to shake off a poor recent record at Old Trafford under new manager Enzo Maresca.
"It means a lot for the fans and for us," the 18-year-old, who was born just north of Paris, said. "We will give everything for this game."
Bouaddi named four City midfielders, Yaya Toure, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri, as the Premier League idols he grew up admiring.
Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma, deputies to captain Ruben Dias, are said to be drumming the club's standards into City's new signings in the hope they integrate quickly. Haaland has become more vocal and has started the season boisterously.
Bouaddi's comments suggest the message has already reached the squad's newer recruits, and the togetherness has been on show in recent weeks, not least during City's white-hot 2-0 win at FC Porto on Tuesday.
City's Old Trafford Problem
Sunday's fixture arrives early in Maresca's reign, too soon to draw firm conclusions about City's season, but it offers a chance to show that the balance of power in Manchester has not shifted just because Pep Guardiola has swapped the club for Catalonia.
Old Trafford is one ground where Maresca could genuinely improve on his predecessor. Of the stadiums City have visited more than once over the last seven seasons, only Tottenham Hotspur's has been a worse hunting ground, yielding an average of a point a game, with four defeats, two wins and one draw there. City's record at Old Trafford is only marginally better, at 1.14 points per game, exactly the same rate as at Liverpool's Anfield.
Since 2019, City have won twice, drawn twice and lost three times at Old Trafford, and have not scored there since 2023. They were wretched amid a defensive injury crisis in January, in what was Michael Carrick's first match in caretaker charge, and both sides were poor in a goalless draw the year before that.
There has been controversy too, including a disputed non-offside call involving Marcus Rashford that swung a game during City's Treble-winning season. Haaland has also scored in the fixture before.
Missing Key Defenders
In City's three defeats at Old Trafford, in 2020, 2023 and 2026, they dominated possession, holding an average of 70 per cent of the ball, only to be picked off by a United side set up to counter-attack. John Stones was injured for all three losses, Ruben Dias missed the last two, and the absence of Aymeric Laporte was keenly felt in 2020.
By contrast, City have fared far better at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and Chelsea's Stamford Bridge.
A Fixture Losing Its Shine
Thursday marked ten years to the day since Guardiola made his first trip to Old Trafford as City manager to face Jose Mourinho's United, a meeting that briefly made Manchester the epicentre of world football. The anticipation surrounding that game has not been matched since.
Michael Carrick, now in interim charge at United, is unlikely to be able to restore that intensity given United's start to the season. Maresca, though, has an opportunity to build on the momentum from Porto and continue shaping the team in his own image. A brawl in the tunnel before that Porto game will not have done City's spirit any harm.
United's defensive frailties are likely to offer space for Bruno Fernandes to exploit, but City are also creating plenty of chances of their own.
New Energy Under Maresca
"He [Maresca] has brought so much energy," said midfielder Matheus Nunes. "I feel like there is a new energy around. I think we needed that. He came with a lot of enthusiasm, he knows the standards of the club as he was here before and won everything. He's got everything he needs to succeed, and I hope this season shows it."
Most of City's squad are still searching for a first win at Old Trafford, and such a breakthrough could galvanise the group. City travel to their old rivals determined to change the record.
