3 key battles that will decide the Manchester derby

#3 Ander Herrera v Bernardo Silva

JHerrera got one of his first starts of the season in the Allianz against Germany

Moving away from the flanks, a key battle that will play a big role in Sunday’s match is Ander Herrera up against Bernardo Silva.

Luckily for Bernardo, Kevin De Bruyne has spent the majority of this season on the sidelines and it has given the Portuguese midfielder a chance to shine and secure his place in midfield. And he has done exactly that.

His performances this season have been astonishing, and alongside David Silva the two of them are just mesmerising to watch. Therefore, although De Bruyne has been injured, he hasn’t actually really been missed, which would have been unthought of last season.

But, unfortunately for Bernardo, this weekend he will face off with a specialist at keeping opponents quiet, Herrera.

Herrera seems to start all of United’s so-called ‘big games’, and always fills in with a defensive role in midfield. And nearly always, the Spaniard puts in a an enormous shift and spends practically the whole 90 minutes making sure he’s as close as he can be to the player he’s defending, therefore Silva on Sunday. He has shown he is capable of doing it with Hazard, but will he be able to deal with Bernardo in midfield?

I guess we will just have to wait and see on Sunday.