Sunderland are a really good team and, on their day, they are more than a match for anyone.
The Black Cats are strong and robust, and when they get after teams and press you then they are phenomenal.
All of that makes me think this is a really hard game for Manchester City.
Their derby victory was a brilliant win and Maresca’s biggest result as their manager so far, with the way they did it.
Iliman Ndiaye showed what a good signing he is when he came on for Rayan Cherki in the second half at Old Trafford, in terms of offering a different profile.
Cherki’s more of an inside forward, as a number 10 or playing narrow, and he’s a guy where you think you couldn’t get the ball off him in a telephone box.
Ndiaye, though, will do more work going back and is also more of a ball carrier, so he was exactly what City needed when they went a man down.
United can feel hard done by because City’s winner should have been disallowed, but City were the better team with 10 men.
This will be a very different task for Maresca’s men, with the emphasis on them breaking down the Black Cats, but I don’t feel it will just be one-way traffic.
I still think City will find a way though, and they need to for the sake of the title race. They already seem to be the only team capable of keeping pace with Arsenal.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1
Johnny on former boss Pep Guardiola, who stepped down in the summer, and his favourite City players: No-one expected Pep to stay for 10 years so it made him leaving OK to accept, and good luck to him. Aside from the success he brought to the club, City fans loved him because he totally loved Manchester.
Dennis Tueart was my favourite player when I was a kid and I think he could have played in this current era. We’ve had amazing players in the last 12 or so years so how do you pick, but my favourites would be Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and David Silva, with the top place going to Kevin De Bruyne. I’d say he’s the best player I’ve seen in a City shirt.
Johnny’s prediction: 3-0
AI’s prediction: 4-0
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