There is always a special atmosphere ahead of a Premier League weekend when a derby is scheduled to take place, even more so when it is in Manchester, as is the case in the upcoming matchday 22 of the domestic championship, in which Manchester United host Manchester City at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils, sitting seventh with 32 points, will be looking to avenge their 3-0 defeat in the first Manchester derby of this Premier League season against the Cityzens, who are currently second, six points behind leaders Arsenal.

The Old Trafford side will be led by their new manager Michael Carrick, who was confirmed as the replacement for the sacked Ruben Amorim on Tuesday afternoon. The former Manchester United captain will have to deal with one of the biggest problems threatening the Red Devils in recent years in the Manchester derby: the goal-scoring partnership of Erling Haaland and Phil Foden.

Both the Norwegian striker and the English playmaker tend to be prolific when facing their neighbours, but the curious thing is that whenever one scores, the other also finds the net. In fact, the young Sky Blues product had not scored in seven appearances against Manchester United before, but since the Norwegian striker arrived in the Premier League, he has scored seven goals against the Red Devils, curiously in the same games in which Haaland has also found the net.

Haaland has scored eight goals in Manchester derbies since moving to England, while Foden has bagged seven. A clear example of their scoring pact against the Old Trafford side was reflected in the first Manchester derby they played together, a 6-3 victory at the Etihad in October 2022 thanks to a hat-trick from each of them.

The lethal duo went two derbies in a row without scoring until October 2023, when the Cityzens claimed a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford, thanks to a brace from Haaland and a goal from Foden. The roles were reversed in March 2024, this time with a brace from Foden and a goal from Haaland giving the home side a 3-1 victory.

Neither striker found the net in the next four derbies, until the most recent one mentioned above, in which the Sky Blues thrashed the Red Devils 3-0 at the Etihad, courtesy of a brace from the Norwegian striker and a strike from the Englishman.

Erling Haaland and Phil Foden

Chasing derby scoring record

Both Foden and Haaland have proven to be clinical against Manchester United, placing them among the top scorers in the history of the Manchester derby.

While the City youth product is tied with Dennis Viollet and Paul Scholes on seven goals, the Norwegian striker has already matched legends such as Eric Cantona and Bobby Charlton with eight goals, and if he scores next Saturday, he could equal Premier League legend Sergio Aguero, who has scored 9 goals against the Red Devils (8 in the Premier League and 1 in the FA Cup).

The podium is completed by Manchester City icons Francis Lee and Joe Hayes, tied on 10 goals, behind the all-time leading scorer and former nightmare for the Sky Blues: Wayne Rooney, who leads the ranking with 11 goals.

It is unclear how long it will take Haaland and Foden to reach the top of the podium, but the truth is that at this rate and with this scoring symmetry against Manchester United, the lethal duo will make history in the Manchester derby sooner rather than later.

01 jul2017	Man. City U19		Manchester City	Traspaso libre
01 jul2016	Man. City U18		Man. City U19	Traspaso libre

Phil Foden

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