‘I expect to win’ – Ruben Amorim makes bold statement ahead of Manchester United vs Man City

Ruben Amorim has acknowledged the significance of the Manchester derby but remains confident that Manchester United will come out on top.

The match between Manchester United and Manchester City takes place at Old Trafford on Sunday, and United aims to achieve a Premier League double over their rivals for the first time since the 2019/2020 season.

Amorim expressed his expectations for the derby, stating: “I expect to win. That is really important. Of course, we know that it’s going to be a massive game. I know the environment, I felt it against Arsenal and I will feel it even more before the game from our fans.”

United is looking to recover from a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, with Kobbie Mainoo in contention for a return after recovering from a muscle injury. Matthijs de Ligt, however, is a doubt after injuring his ankle in the Forest match.

Despite the challenge, Amorim emphasized that his focus is not on achieving a league double over City. Instead, he stressed the importance of improving the team’s position in the table, stating, “When you coach a club like Manchester United, you cannot be focused on winning two times, our focus is on improving, going up in the table, and winning games.”

On the topic of City’s key striker Erling Haaland being absent for the derby, Amorim remarked, “It’s different, Haaland scores a lot of goals, but I’m focused on our team.”

He continued by acknowledging that City will likely play a different player in Haaland’s place, and United must be ready to adapt to this change.

Speaking to the press on Friday, Amorim confirmed that the team’s focus will be on taking it one game at a time, with the upcoming match being a priority. “We want to win this game, we want to improve in the league table and especially we want to win games, so we will have full focus on this game,” he said.