CITY v MANCHESTER UNITED | OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME | 27.04.2017 | £3.00 PROGRAMME | 27.04.2017 UNITED | OFFICIAL MATCHDAY MANCHESTER TOURÉ: TOWER OF STRENGTH Explore the extraordinary in Abu Dhabi Your unforgettable holiday starts here Discover the wonders of Abu Dhabi, with its turquoise coastline, breathtaking desert and constant sunshine. Admire modern Arabian architecture as you explore world-class hotels, cosmopolitan shopping malls, and adrenaline-pumping theme parks. There is something for everyone in the UAE’s extraordinary capital. To book call 0345 600 8118 or visit etihadholidays.co.uk CONTENTS 6 Pep Guardiola 40 Kevin Cummins 62 EDS 18 Buzzword 45 The Open 64 Under-18s 20 Derby Links 48 City in the 68 Manchester United 25 Sir Howard Bernstein Way Community 74 Match Details 26 Showcase 51 Your Shout 76 City Roll Call 28 City2City 54 Supporters Club 77 Table and Stats 30 This Is How It Feels... 56 Junior Cityzens 78 Fixture List 36 My Turf: Fernandinho 58 Social Wrap 82 Squads and Offi cials 38 Marc Riley INTERVIEW YAYA 8TOURÉ FUN WITH CITC FERNANDINHO 30 AND FERNANDO Etihad Stadium, Etihad Campus, Manchester M11 3FF Telephone 0161 444 1894 | Website www.mancity.com | Facebook www.facebook.com/mcfcoffi cial | Twitter @mancity Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak | Chief Executive Offi cer Ferran Soriano | Board of Directors Martin Edelman, Alberto Galassi, John MacBeath, Mohamed Mazrouei, Simon Pearce | Honorary Presidents Eric Alexander, Sir Howard Bernstein, Tony Book, Raymond Donn, Ian Niven MBE, Tudor Thomas | Life President Bernard Halford Manager Pep Guardiola | Assistants Rodolfo Borrell, Manel Estiarte Club Ambassador | Mike Summerbee | Head of Football Administration Andrew Hardman Premier League/Football League (First Tier) Champions 1936/37, 1967/68, 2011/12, 2013/14 HONOURS Runners-up 1903/04, 1920/21, 1976/77, 2012/13, 2014/15 | Division One/Two (Second Tier) Champions 1898/99, 1902/03, 1909/10, 1927/28, 1946/47, 1965/66, 2001/02 Runners-up 1895/96, 1950/51, 1988/89, 1999/00 | Division Two (Third Tier) Play-Off Winners 1998/99 | European Cup-Winners’ Cup Winners 1970 | FA Cup Winners 1904, 1934, 1956, 1969, 2011 Runners-up 1926, 1933, 1955, 1981, 2013 | League Cup Winners 1970, 1976, 2014, 2016 Runners-up 1974 | FA Charity/Community Shield Winners 1937, 1968, 1972, 2012 | FA Youth Cup Winners 1986, 2008 3 BACKSTAGE ACCESS TO WORLD-CLASS FOOTBALL Face to face with the finest footballers on the planet. The Tunnel Club is a unique hospitality experience without restrictions that will immerse you into the game like never before. OPENS AUGUST 2017 0161 333 4487 MANCITY.COM/THETUNNELCLUB 01498_Tunnel Club_Programme Ad DPS_V1_AWK.indd 2 21/04/2017 11:32 01498_Tunnel Club_Programme Ad DPS_V1_AWK.indd 3 21/04/2017 11:32 BACKSTAGE ACCESS TO WORLD-CLASS FOOTBALL Face to face with the finest footballers on the planet. The Tunnel Club is a unique hospitality experience without restrictions that will immerse you into the game like never before. OPENS AUGUST 2017 0161 333 4487 MANCITY.COM/THETUNNELCLUB 01498_Tunnel Club_Programme Ad DPS_V1_AWK.indd 2 21/04/2017 11:32 01498_Tunnel Club_Programme Ad DPS_V1_AWK.indd 3 21/04/2017 11:32 PEP GUARDIOLA Firstly let me welcome Manchester United are the footballing nights we and the fans manager Jose Mourinho and his staff to the live for. Our performance against United Etihad Stadium. Our paths have crossed in the 2-1 win at Old Trafford earlier this many times and we can be sure of a tough season, certainly in the early stages, was game from our visitors this evening. impressive and we need to summon that form again. Derby matches are always important and emotional – this one is certainly no Although Sunday was disappointing for different. With the teams just one point everyone, we should not forget that we apart in the Premier League and everybody have won our last two Premier League focused on achieving qualification to the games. Our fate, in terms of finishing Champions League for next season, you in the top four, is in our hands. We must can expect an intense occasion. keep our self-belief. This is a fantastic group of players and they have shown We return home after a difficult trip to many times this season great quality and Wembley for our FA Cup semi-final against strength of personality. Arsenal. I don’t have any regrets about how we approached the match. We performed After Monaco knocked us out of the well and we controlled most of the play. Champions League, we performed admirably against Liverpool in the following But the game was reflective of our season Premier League game. Even though we so far – we played how we wanted to but didn’t beat Liverpool that day I was so the opposition does not need to do too proud of how the players fought. If we much to score a goal, while at the other can show the same attitude against United end we can find scoring difficult. We hit I am confident the result will go our way. the post, we hit the bar and that is how it has been. Let me say I know how important a derby match is to the fans in this city and Overall we were strong in the FA Cup this throughout the world. To all of the many season. We faced away draws against thousands of supporters who travelled Premier League opposition but at the down to Wembley, I say thank you. And to end you must live by the result and say all who will cheer us on against United – congratulations to Arsenal. we appreciate your voice and spirit and we aim to put on a performance to remember. The key for us now is to stand up against United. They will provide formidable Finally I pass on my condolences to the opposition – the fact they have not lost in family and friends of Ugo Ehiogu, who the Premier League since October shows sadly passed away last week. It is always a you that. shock when someone from the football and coaching community is taken so soon. We have not had long to recuperate after Sunday but the simple fact that this is a Enjoy the game. derby game should lift our players. These OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME “This is a fantastic group of players and they have shown many times this season great quality and strength of personality” 7 Yaya Touré looks ahead to tonight’s Manchester derby and says there is plenty of hard work still to be done… INTERVIEW: DAVID CLAYTON PICTURES: VICTORIA HAYDN/PA Yaya Touré enter tonight’s Manchester derby Champions League football, which Yaya says is determined to erase the memory of Sunday’s now the team’s sole focus in the six games that painful FA Cup semi-fi nal against Arsenal. remain, starting tonight. The Ivorian was arguably the Blues’ stand-out “We are disappointed and we are not happy at all performer at Wembley with a mixture of power with the result on Sunday. We felt we deserved and creativity that also provided a goal assist the win... but we were surprised at how Arsenal and came close to scoring what could have been played because we’ve not seen them play like a winning goal – but for the merest fl ick of Petr that before. Cech’s right-hand glove. “We hit the bar and the post, had a good goal Yaya, who has scored four goals against United disallowed and possibly a good shout for a during his seven years with the club, is hoping to penalty but on some days, things just go against again inspire the Blues to a victory that will put you. When moments like that happen, there’s not a smile on the faces of everyone at City. A win much you can do because that’s how football would also strengthen the Blues’ bid to secure sometimes goes. OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 9 OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME “When you look back at the highlights, you see that a number of important decisions didn’t go our way but we have to forget it – it’s over – and now concentrate on United. It’s going to be difficult for me to forget the FA Cup semi-final but I must accept it and move on.” With United edging ever closer following a 2-0 “We have to treat win at Burnley on Sunday, City received an this game against unexpected boost with the news that Liverpool had been beaten at home to Crystal Palace, United as a final. It’s severely damaging the Merseysiders’ hopes of a massive game for Champions League football next term. For Yaya, however, it was a warning shot across the bows us and one we can’t proving that games against teams near the foot of the table are just as dangerous as the ones afford to lose” against clubs near the top. “Liverpool losing was a bit of a surprise and obviously a good result for us, but we must be careful as there is still a lot of hard work to be done. We have to win as many games as we can, focus on what we need to do and try to make sure we get the job done as there are a lot of strange results at this time of the season. “We have to treat this game against United as a final. It’s a massive game for us and one we can’t afford to lose. Two big managers, two huge clubs and 22 big players, so it’s going to be a battle – and we want to make sure we end in the top three and qualify for the Champions League.