Harry Maguire is determined Manchester United will be at our best in order to be able to replicate last season’s home win over local rivals City.
The centre-back goes into Sunday’s 15:30 GMT kick-off in fine form and good heart and knows victory against Pep Guardiola’s men would close the gap on the champions to three points in the Premier League table.
After assisting Scott McTominay’s late winner against Brentford, Maguire was voted Man of the Match in the 2-1 success at his former club Sheffield United last weekend.
On Tuesday night, he scored the winner in the UEFA Champions League against FC Copenhagen, heading home Christian Eriksen’s delivery to register his first goal of the campaign.
“It’s a big occasion,” Maguire told Premier League Productions ahead of Sunday’s derby. “We’re coming off the back of three wins and it’s one we’re looking forward to. We know it’s going to be a great atmosphere at Old Trafford, with our fans right behind us, they always are, and we’re looking to put on a strong performance and get a result in the game.
“I think you can see what they [City] did last season. They’ve got a really strong team, a really strong squad and a great manager. We know it’s going to be a tough test but we’re not fully focused on Manchester City. We’re more focused on ourselves and making sure we perform to our ability. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves every opportunity.”
The defender accepts it will be a battle against the Blues but expects the hosts will be as up for the occasion as we were when winning last term’s Old Trafford fixture 2-1.
“You want to control the emotion but you also want that fire in the belly, the aggression on the pitch,” he added. “Make sure it is controlled and you stay on the pitch with 11 men. That’s going to be vitally important.
“You can really feel the buzz all around the city, leading up to the week of the derby. Like I said, it’s whether Manchester is red or whether Manchester is blue. Hopefully, come Sunday, it’s red.”
