Man City Vs Man Utd: 5 Key Battles

5. Carlos Tevez vs. Rio Ferdinand

With Rio in defence, United have shipped 6 goals in 3 away games, and though the former England man is an experienced head at the heart of the defence (especially in the absence of Vidic), he is not the player he once was. He lacks pace, and though he can make up for that with his positional sense, if the ball drops in behind him, Ferdinand is at his weakest. In Carlos Tevez he faces a busy striker with seemingly endless energy levels who won't let Ferdinand and whoever partners him rest for one minute. He will constantly move, swapping with Aguero to exploit Ferdinand's lack of pace, and looking to get down the channels in order to pull the centre-halves out of position. Ferdinand should have enough experience not to be pulled apart quite so easily, but those 6 goals may well be weighing heavily on his mind, and if Tevez is on the kind of form he usually finds for United games, it could be a tough afternoon for the former West Ham and Leeds player. What do you think? Can United triumph at the Etihad, or will City over-shadow their "big brother"? Share your thoughts below.
Contributor
Contributor

WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.