Everyone loves a good midweek fixture, especially if there’s some real meaning behind it – and especially if it’s being played at a level like the Premier League. We all know that English football is considered to be the pinnacle for many folks when it comes to the sport, and you’ve only really got hardcore fans of La Liga that would suggest otherwise.
With that in mind it can be seen as a bit of a commodity when we get midweek games, because for the most part, you attribute that to European games or lower league fixtures. So then, you can probably imagine the kind of excitement ahead of tonight’s offering: Manchester United vs Manchester City at Old Trafford.
The drama
We’ve also got Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal which is a really important game in its own right, but let’s face it, this is one of the biggest games of the season when it comes to deciding where the title is going to go. We aren’t naive enough to suggest that it’s all going to come down to this, but this is certainly the toughest test on paper that City are going to have as their quest to lift the Premier League title for a second consecutive season continues.
As you can probably tell by the title of this piece, this game has left a few Liverpool fans feeling a bit dirty on the inside. Why? Because they want Manchester United to win the game. The Reds are currently occupying top spot in the top flight, as they go in search of their first ever Premier League title.
But, as we all know, City’s game in hand tonight will give them full control of the race with just a few games left to play. Given what we’ve seen from both clubs throughout the course of the season it almost seems obvious to suggest that this is City’s title to lose, but beyond that, we just love the repercussions of this situation.
Emotional rollercoaster
It really does feel like destiny has thrown this spanner in the works for fans to deal with, because there’s no alternative scenario (that we can think of) in which Liverpool fans would openly cheer for their bitter rivals. It creates the kind of unique dynamic that you rarely see in other sports, which is why more people are talking about this game on a random Wednesday night than they are talking about post other things going on in the world. That’s sad, in some ways, but it’s also incredibly accurate.
For what it’s worth we still think Manchester City are going to win the game tonight and most bookies will agree, but on the opposite end of the spectrum, you have to think about what fans of the Red Devils are going through too. They’re coming off the back of a humiliating result to Everton at the weekend, and if they want to claim a Champions League spot, they need a big result tonight.
However, if they get it, they’ll essentially be putting the fate of the Premier League title race in the hands of their rivals.
Football, eh?
