Manchester United legend Dimitar Berbatov directed a brutal dig at Liverpool ahead of the Manchester derby.
United take on local rivals and reigning treble-winners City in Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
While both clubs come into the game off the back of 2-1 Premier League wins and midweek Champions League victories, Pep Guardiola’s men will naturally be favourites for the encounter.
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After a topsy-turvy start to the campaign on and off the pitch, United are languishing in eighth place, below Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Brighton, and already some five points adrift of the Champions League spots.
Meanwhile, City go into the weekend in second spot, though could find themselves further behind should Tottenham claim a win over Crystal Palace on Friday night. Guardiola’s side are also without a clean-sheet in six games.
And despite City not being at their imperious best, former United striker Berbatov insisted that Guardiola’s men are the favourites for the encounter - all while issuing a dig at Old Trafford rivals Liverpool.
Speaking to the Mail Online, Berbatov said: “This is the fact: United are chasing City. You can't say any different. The roles have shifted. It's painful for everybody to see this but it's a fact.
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“Let's see what will happen when Pep Guardiola leaves. City could continue in the way they are or go back behind United.
“It's up to United to try to close that gap as soon as possible otherwise we're risking a period of time of not winning the league… now it's 10 years, we're risking becoming like Liverpool were. It'd be a major disaster.
“The stadium needs to be renovated, to be up with modern times. The club is as big as the players on the pitch. When you win, you have a product. When you lose, everybody suffers.”
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Topics: Football, Manchester United, Manchester City, Dimitar Berbatov, Liverpool
Chris Byfield