Manchester United vs Manchester City: Michael Carrick Needs a Miracle

JAKARTA - The hope of getting three points is very slim for Manchester United when hosting Manchester City in the English Premier League match at Old Trafford Stadium, Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 19.30 WIB. Interim Man Utd manager Michael Carrick needs a miracle in this 198th edition of the Manchester Derby.

It is clear that Carrick is not favored to win in a strategy duel with Pep Guardiola who has a lot of experience handling top teams and is supported by a squad that has quality. Even if Guardiola rotates players, Man City is believed to still be able to win the match.

How not, Guardiola has proven himself as a capable coach/manager by winning various trophies while architecting Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Man City.

Even Guardiola twice beat Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary manager of Man Utd, in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals. In that match, Carrick was still part of the Man Utd squad who were forced to surrender 2-0 and two years later were defeated 3-1 by Barca. Interestingly, Guardiola led Barca to win the Champions League twice by defeating Man Utd.

And now, with very little experience, Carrick is trying his luck against the on-fire Man City. Yes, the two teams are very different. For the past 12 years after Ferguson's departure, Man Utd has only been a shadow of Man City. This has never happened in the era of Ferguson even though before the manager retired, Man City began to shake the dominance of the Red Devils.

The latest situation is not in favor of Man Utd who in the first meeting at the Etihad, the team which was then managed by Ruben Amorim was defeated 3-0.

Man Utd is still not out of the crisis after sacking Amorim and stuck in seventh place in the standings. On the other hand, Man City is 11 points ahead and is busy hunting for the title with Arsenal. Guardiola also does not take Man Utd into account because he is more focused on chasing the Gunners.

Carrick faced a big problem when he returned to Man Utd for the second time as an interim manager. How not, some big players, including team pillars, actually still support Amorim.

As a result, there was no new excitement from Lisandro Martinez et al when welcoming Darren Fletcher who replaced Amorim in the match against Burnley and Brighton and Hove Albion.

Proven, Man Utd only played a draw 2-2 against Burnley, a team that is almost certain to be relegated because it is in second place from the bottom. Furthermore, Man Utd who played at home was even eliminated by Brighton in the FA Cup.

Carrick, now, has to restore the players' trust in the manager whose performance is indeed less shiny than Amorim. How not, Carrick only briefly managed the Championship club, Middlesbrough, and it failed completely.

When asked that Man Utd had lost its soul since Ferguson left, but Carrick firmly denied the accusation. He believes there is still a miracle and he feels it. But Carrick not only feels but needs it when facing Man City.

"I don't think this team has lost its soul," said Carrick, who won 12 trophies while being a pillar of the Man Utd midfield.

"But I think there is still a miracle in this place [the team]. I can feel it. I feel it when I come here and when I walk around. For me there is a miracle in this place," he said.

Guardiola himself has confirmed as a star of Man City. He successfully led The Cityzens to outperform Man Utd completely. When Man City was still handled by Roberto Mancini or Manuel Pellegrini, Man Utd was actually still the best in Manchester. But the situation is different when Guardiola is in charge of the blue team.

This season, Man City remains consistent by recording an unbeaten record for 13 matches in various competitions. They won 10 times and drew three times. In the English League, Erling Haaland et al. have never lost in the last nine matches.

This makes Man City more favored. Moreover, Guardiola has a good record of 31 times playing the Manchester Derby. They also have a much better squad than Man Utd. The arrival of Antoine Semenyo also adds to the team's strength. Haaland is still the mainstay in the front line. However, he is supported by goal-hungry midfielder, Bernardo Silva, Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden and Semenyo.

The return of Rodri as a defensive midfielder will be a counterweight so that the team is really solid. The back sector is indeed a bit of a problem because several pillars have suffered injuries. Even Guardiola has brought in Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi. However, he has not been able to play because he is still undergoing medical tests.

Meanwhile, Carrick still relies on Benjamin Sesko who has not convinced when playing as a centre forward. This means Man Utd hopes for captain Bruno Fernandes or Bryan Mbeumo who have returned from the Africa Cup.

Veteran midfielder Casemiro, supported by energetic player Kobbie Mainoo, is expected to win the battle in the midfield. Meanwhile, the team's defense line is quite safe even though it has not been strengthened by Matthijs de Ligt.

Carrick hopes that goalkeeper Senne Lammens can show toughness against Haaland's strong physique so that his goal does not concede more. Yes, Carrick needs a miracle when he plays his first match because Man Utd is not favored even though he plays at home.