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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Alex Brotherton

Why Man City's Etihad Stadium beats Manchester United's Old Trafford - your best and worst grounds

As Mancunians, we are incredibly lucky to live in a city steeped with cultural and sporting heritage. Central to that are the homes of Manchester City and Manchester United, two of the finest football grounds in the country, if not Europe.

Here at MEN Sport, we've been having a bit of a debate about which is the better stadium: Old Trafford or the Etihad Stadium.

As a City writer and lifelong supporter, Alex Brotherton has come up with a few reasons about why Eastlands wins hands down.

Location

Ok, let's get the gag out of the way: There's only one club that plays in Manchester!

Being wedged between Miles Platting and Beswick, the Etihad Stadium stadium is very much in Manchester, unlike that other stadium over in Stretford.

Jokes aside, because of that, getting to the Etihad on matchday is a much more pleasant experience than having to shlep over to Old Trafford.

If you haven't travelled by car, then City's ground is only a 30-minute walk from Piccadilly Station. It's even closer to the Northern Quarter and Ancoats, making pre-match eating and drinking a rather pleasant and relaxed affair.

Old Trafford on the other hand is a good three miles from the city centre, or a jam-packed Metrolink ride away. You can forget about trying to get a taxi after the game either, such are the state of the roads around the ground at full-time.

What are your favourite and least favourite stadiums in England, apart from the Etihad? Cast your vote here or below:

Comfort

Ok, I'm not going to pretend that the standard, non-posh seats at the Etihad Stadium are anything to write home about. At the end of the day, they are hard plastic seats.

But at least at the Etihad you don't have to sit and watch the action unfold with your legs around your ears. There is such little leg room in the stands at Old Trafford that after 45 minutes you wonder whether you're going to be able to stand up straight ever again.

Food and drink

At the start of this season City revamped the food and drink offerings at the Etihad, with some of Manchester's best local independent traders now operating in City Square and on the concourse before and during the game.

So if you fancy a change from the usual pie and pint combination, you can tuck into a delicious burger from Triple B or a grilled cheese from Northern Soul, and wash it down with a can of beer from Seven Brothers or Track Brewery.

For the traditionalists though, City have you covered. According to Pierate - the self-proclaimed premier pie resource on the internet - City's chicken and ham pie is the second-best football pie in the country.

Beats a lukewarm pie and a warm lager at Old Trafford any day.

Sign up to our City newsletter so you never miss an update from the Etihad Stadium this season.

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