Manchester United must win today’s match against Man City if they are to have any chance of winning the Premier League title, says Owen Hargreaves.
The Red Devils host their title rivals at Old Trafford this afternoon and go into the match eight points behind Pep Guardiola’s side.
If Manchester United were to lose, the gap would by insurmountable according to Hargreaves, who played for both sides during his career.
‘If Manchester City win it’s over,’ the former England international told the BBC. ‘Eleven points? You’re not going to catch Manchester City with an eleven point lead, no way. I mean they’ve scored eleven goals more than Manchester United who have been very good this season. Eighteen more than third place Chelsea.’
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‘It’s a game, every game is a must-win game.’
Hargreaves added that even a draw wasn’t really good enough if Manchester United are serious about closing the gap.
‘In terms of how many points are City going to drop realistically. Are United going to win all those games? I mean a draw is even good for City. I think for United, if they want to find a way to win the Premier League it is more a must win for United than it is for City.’
He continued: ‘And I think, Pep, the way he plays, he will want to win the game. I don’t think you want to play for a draw. He’ll try and put on a top performance and show people how good this team is and how great a manager he is.
‘I think Manchester United have to win.’
Today’s game kicks off at 4.30pm.
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