Football
Richard Jolly, ESPN.com writer 10y

Juan Mata: United need to beat the best

Juan Mata believes Manchester United have to prove they can beat the best in Tuesday’s derby against Manchester City.

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United, who lost 4-1 to City in September, have a dismal record in league games against the top nine under David Moyes.

In 12 matches, they have only won one and scored just seven goals, and Mata, who played in the 3-0 defeat to Liverpool earlier this month, is determined to improve on that statistic.

He told United Review: “We need to show we can win against the big teams. It wasn’t a good game against Liverpool. Yes, they played well, but I think we can do better.

"It will be difficult because City are one of the best teams in the Premier League right now. They play great football and have a lot of quality players, but in our stadium and in front of our supporters I think we can have a good game."

Mata says he wants to reward the United supporters who backed their team throughout the loss to Brendan Rodgers’ side.

He added: “What we experienced in the Liverpool game was unbelievable. We lost 3-0 on a very difficult day yet when we were walking off the pitch at the end they were singing and clapping. It was amazing.”

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