The second Manchester derby of the season has the potential to be a very hotly contested affair with only a few points separating the sides in the league, and that could add some spice to what is sure to be a fiery occasion.
City were narrow victors at the Etihad Stadium earlier in the season but it was far from a classic as United were down to 10 men after only a few minutes after Chris Smalling’s unnecessary rash challenge. Despite their one man advantage, it did take until midway through the second half to break down United’s depleted defence with a solitary Sergio Aguero goal sealing United’s fate.
This weekend’s match looks like it could be equally as tight after City’s 2-1 defeat at Selhurst Park left Louis van Gaal’s side a point and a place above their rivals. With automatic entry into the Champions Legaue group stages awarded to the team that finishes third in the league, there is also a lot more on the line than just pride.
City have a clean bill of health and Manuel Pellegrini may well look to shake things up after his side’s lacklustre display against Palace, a game in which they had the Lion’s share of possession, 74% of it to be precise, and had 22 attempts on goal. However, despite the high volume of attempts they failed to carve out many clear cut opportunities and that will worry Pellegrini as they head into the derby.
There will be no such worries for Van Gaal with his United side in fine form and they are certainly well placed to end the dismal run that they have against their neighbours which has seen City win each of the last four meetings between these two sides.
Manchester United v Manchester City Betting Tips
- United to win – We’re going with the form book here and tipping a win for the Red Devils at 7/5 with Ladbrokes. Home advantage will also be important and United will be looking to take advantage of a City team who are running out of steam at the wrong time of the season.
- Wayne Rooney to score first – The England striker has been in a rich vein of form lately for both club and country and he scored a cracker against Aston Villa last week. Rooney is certainly a ‘big game’ player and you can back him to open the scoring at odds of 11/2 with Coral
- Both teams to score – Whilst we think United will win, both teams have shown themselves to be defensively suspect at times this season and we certainly think that City will get themselves on the scoresheet with Sergio Aguero scoring four in his last three appearances against United. You can back both teams to score at 8/11 with Betfred.
- United to win by one goal – As we’ve already said we expect it to be a tight game and if the odds of 7/5 on a United win aren’t good enough for you then United to win by one can be backed at 7/2 with BetVictor, which looks a fairly good price considering five of the last seven Manchester derbies have been settled by a solitary goal.