Bruno Fernandes and Kevin De Bruyne are star performers for Manchester United and Manchester City, respectively - but who's more influential for their team? We crunch the numbers...
The midfield maestros will face off at Old Trafford on Saturday in the first Manchester derby this season, live on Sky Sports - but which club depends on their talisman most and who will steal the show this weekend?
Pep Guardiola's side go into the weekend with momentum after securing qualification from their Champions League group and winning back-to-back league games with clean sheets.
In contrast, United crashed out of Europe's elite competition and slipped into the Europa League after a 3-2 defeat to RB Leipzig, following mediocre displays to overcome deficits and beat West Ham and Southampton in recent weeks.
But the Premier League top table remains wide open. Both teams have a game in hand and United lead City by a solitary position and point - with the clubs just five and six points adrift from league-leaders Tottenham, respectively.
So the stage is set for Fernandes or De Bruyne to buck or maintain their clubs' recent fortunes - but which has the greatest influence to do so?
Who leads in the stats?
The
Power Rankings, which rank Premier League players on 35 matchday
metrics, suggest Fernandes is leading the way at No 7 in the league -
compared with De Bruyne at No 29, after an uncustomary slower start to
the season.
