Man Utd v Man City Preview

It is all about one match in the Premier League this weekend, the Manchester Derby. The good ship Solskjaer has been sailing through some tempestuous seas in recent weeks but will it be able to withstand another storm this weekend? The bookies reckon it’ll be another tough afternoon for Utd at Old Trafford and they are 4.8 with some firms. Pep’s Citizens are 1.75 favs and the draw is 4.2. Can Utd somehow deliver another result when Solskjaer needs it most, or will this be the end for him? Hopefully the game lives up to its billing, check out our Man Utd v Man City preview and betting tips below.

Man Utd

Manchester United Have a pretty good record against Man City under Solskjaer in the Premier League. Last season they took 4 points from the two games and the season before they did the double. In those games Utd sat deep and hit City on the break when they won the ball back. The pace of Rashford and James was key in those wins but things have changed. There is a new sheriff in town now and it is all about getting the ball to Ronaldo.

It is hard to be critical of the Portuguese superstar as he keeps on delivering. He has already netted 9 goals in 10 starts and he bailed his team out again against Atalanta in midweek. However, Utd have had to dramatically alter how they play and as we saw against Liverpool and Leicester, it hasn’t worked. It was no surprise to see Solskjaer revert to three at the back vs Spurs and Utd won that 3-0. However, the loss of Varane for a month is a huge blow, especially with Harry Maguire’s struggles.

The England captain can’t be fully fit given how slow and laboured he has looked. He’ll have to soldier on though, because with Lindelof a doubt too, a centre back pairing of Bailly and Phil Jones doesn’t inspire confidence. Pogba is suspended but he won’t be missed on the evidence of his last two horrific displays. Predicting how Utd will play these days is impossible but on recent evidence, City could destroy them if they turn up in top form.

Man City

It hasn’t been plain sailing for Man City recently either. Last week they were knocked out of the League Cup on penalties after a 0-0 draw vs West Ham and that was followed by a 2-0 home defeat vs Palace. City got back on track in the Champions League on Wednesday, beating Brugges 4-1. Previous to that blip they were in ominously good form, taking 10 points from 12 against Chelsea, Liverpool, Burnley and Brighton.

City have already dropped 10 points this season and they’ll be wary of allowing Chelsea opening up a gap. They are 5 points behind Tuchel’s men and given Chelsea’s excellent form, they can’t afford to fall too much further behind. City will be without the suspended Laporte on Saturday so either Ake or Stones will come in alongside Ruben Dias at the back.

Pep has an embarrassment of riches in midfield and attack. Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish, Foden, Sterling, Mahrez and Jesus are all available so Pep has options. Given how Sterling has struggled against Aaron Wan Bissaka in previous encounters, he’s the only one of those players that will definitely start on the bench. If Guardiola picks the right team and City show up, they have the quality to pick this Utd team apart.

Possible Lineups

Manchester Utd: De Gea, Wan Bissaka, Maguire, Bailly, Shaw, Telles, Fred, McTominay, Bruno, Cavani, Ronaldo.

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Cancelo, Rodri, Silva, Gundogan, Foden, Grealish, Jesus.

Man Utd v Man City Prediction

Man City are odds on for this match and deservedly so. They are the better team right now and Utd are still searching for the right formula with Ronaldo. The 5-3-2 formation worked a treat for Solskjaer vs a dreadful Spurs side but will it be as effective against The Citizens? It will certainly give Utd a better chance than they had going with 4-2-3-1 vs Liverpool. However, City are most vulnerable to pace on the counter so unless Rashford or Greenwood play it is tough to see how Utd can hurt City.

Yes, they have Ronaldo and he is always a threat when he is on the pitch but he isn’t as quick as he once was. Fred sat out the draw vs Atalanta, presumably to save him for this match. He has produced some of his best displays vs City and, despite the bad press he gets in some quarters, his legs and energy make a big difference to this Utd team.

Overall though, do Utd have enough about them to stop City? Probably not and with Maguire and Shaw both struggling badly for form, this could be an easy afternoon’s work for their bitter rivals. Back Man City to win -2 goals at odds of 6.00.

Man Utd v Man City Betting Tip: Man City -2 @ 6.00

-DaveStevos