Manchester United face nightmare scenario ahead of the derby

Although Manchester United themselves are out of contention, Wednesday’s Manchester Derby at Old Trafford will go a long way in deciding the closest Premier League title race of the last five years.

In a Premier League season dominated by Manchester City and Liverpool, Manchester United, the largest and most successful club in English football’s history, has fallen relatively under the radar for much of the campaign. Despite the massive drama and turnover the club has seen during 2018-19, however, the Red Devils will play the vital role of potential spoiler as their two most hated rivals duel to be crowned champions of England.

In one of the most up-and-down seasons in recent memory, a dismal start to 2018 saw José Mourinho sacked with the club looking absolutely dead in the water in terms of a top-four finish and the promise of Champions League football that comes with it. Enter Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who’s historic start to life at Old Trafford propelled the Red Devils to resemble sides of the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson.

After knocking out Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16 and appointing Solskjaer on a permanent basis, however, United have been in absolute free fall, with their misery being compounded with a stunning 4-0 loss to Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

The midweek derby fixture against Manchester City has all of the ingredients of a potential upset. With numerous consecutive poor performances and Manchester United struggling to keep pace in order to keep their top four dreams alive, Solskjaer’s men should have all of the required motivation to get a result against their local rivals.

United could well be the final roadblock in the City machine’s quest to become the first back-to-back Premier League champion since United themselves achieved the feat by winning three consecutive titles from 2006-2009. Moreover, United have gone 14 consecutive games unbeaten at home in the league and always seem to turn up on the big stage against their crosstown rivals.

Under normal circumstances, a United victory in the Manchester Derby is one of the best results possible for the Old Trafford faithful, yet an odd aura hangs over this fixture. Although United supporters surely will want to win against City and bolster their Champions League hopes for next season, when choosing between City to win the league again or Liverpool to end their 29-year title drought, many seem to prefer that the Blues lift the trophy.

"“United fans are in a difficult situation obviously,” Manchester City and England fullback Kyle Walker told Goal.com. “When I’m out and about or walking my dogs, United fans are coming up to me and saying, ‘We’d rather City win the league than Liverpool.'”"

Although the Red Devils have the chance to derail City’s quest to be the first club in English history to claim a domestic treble of the Premier League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup, doing so almost-assuredly hands the title to their most-hated historical rivals. This situation puts United into a nightmare scenario on Wednesday—get a result and give Liverpool a massive advantage, or lose and potentially watch City lift the title from the depths of another Europa League-bound season.