Manchester United vs Manchester City-14-01-23

Preview

On Saturday, the Premier League’s Manchester derby will be played at Old Trafford. Manchester City will be seeking for a victory to cut the deficit between them and league leaders Arsenal to just two points before the Gunners play Spurs in their derby on Sunday.

Nine goals were scored in the first Manchester Derby of the season, six of which went in Pep Guardiola’s team’s favor as the defending Premier League winners recorded a convincing 6-3 victory. Manchester United has started to establish consistency and rhythm under Erik ten Hag since that thrashing in early October.

Erling Haaland baring his teeth during an afternoon of final-third destruction as a result of his offensive prowess led to the third of his three hat-tricks this season as Manchester City were unrelenting in their performance at the Etihad. It was a demonstration of the perfect finisher’s art of scoring goals.

With his addition in the summer, City’s championship defense this season seemed like a formality. However, table-topping Arsenal has shown they are an itch that just won’t go away in the race for first, so this weekend’s matchup is about more than just local pride.

A win here also appears to be an absolute necessity for Man Utd. The Red Devils will aim to maintain their position in the top four as they attempt to reseat themselves at Europe’s elite dinner table. Over the previous few weeks, they have positioned themselves in the Champions League rankings by taking advantage of Tottenham’s sluggish form.

Form Guide: Manchester United

With six victories in as many games across all competitions since the World Cup break, Manchester United has been in excellent form heading into Saturday’s Manchester derby for the early Premier League kickoff. Manchester United will enter this encounter with an eight-match winning streak and is unquestionably headed in the right direction under Erik ten Hag.

The genuine merit of their performance, which includes a few cups wins over teams in lower divisions, can, however, be easily questioned. The Red Devils’ other Premier League victories were against Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, and Wolves. Fulham is the highest-placed Premier League team they have faced.

Marcus Rashford’s renaissance continued in that game, with a late double meaning he has scored in each of his last six appearances.

With Antony firing in a superb opener and Anthony Martial another player back on the song of late, the Red Devils should have their moments going forward.

Form Guide: Manchester City

After cruising to a 4-0 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup third round last weekend, many would have predicted another comfortable win for Man City against Premier League basement club Southampton in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday night.

For the EFL Cup trip to Southampton, Guardiola rested several crucial players, and it cost him a 2-0 defeat. Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo’s goals in the first half caused significant damage, and even the entrance of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland failed to spark a comeback.

The Blues have undoubtedly been much more prone to subpar performances this season than in previous ones. Before the World Cup, Brentford shocked them at home, and on New Year’s Eve, Everton held them to a tie. With this match, the Premier League’s important month of activity gets underway, which includes two games versus Tottenham and a trip to league-leading Arsenal.

Manchester City is still seen as a class apart when focused and performing at its best, and Guardiola is aware that the moment has come to buckle down.

The reigning top-flight champions have seen their impeccably high standards slip slightly in recent months, dropping eight points from as many league matches, while they have also failed to score in four of their last seven away games across all competitions.

However, Guardiola’s side will relish a derby-day trip to Man United have won nine of their last 14 visits to Old Trafford in all tournaments since and including their iconic 6-1 league triumph in October 2011.

How the game could go

After the nine-goal thriller in October, the Manchester derby on Saturday has a lot to live up to, and a closer game is to be expected this time around given the huge advancements made by Man United recently.

While Manchester City is recovering from what some have deemed to be their worst performance under Pep Guardiola when they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Southampton, Manchester United is aiming for their ninth straight victory.

Therefore, the momentum is with the home team, but I anticipate the visitors to rise to the occasion and respond to their midweek defeat. As previously noted, Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne will be back and potentially making a game-changing difference.

Manchester City tend to respond well following a defeat and with several star names set to be recalled to their starting lineup, we can see Guardiola’s side securing three valuable points to put pressure on Arsenal at the Premier League summit.

Betting Predictions

Manchester City to Win

Only four games have been lost by City this season in all competitions (including the Community Shield), and they have come back to win every time. Their most recent victory came in the EFL Cup, which they won 3-2 after losing to Brentford in the Premier League in their penultimate pre-World Cup match. The fact that United hasn’t faced a team from the top half of the Premier League during this winning streak may be a little deceiving. Erling Haaland’s hat trick helped City defeat their local rivals 6-3 in the previous encounter, and they can do the same against them at Old Trafford, but this matchup should be a little tighter. Bet9ja have 1.86, 1xbet have 1.87 and Paripesa have 1.87 odds.

Over 2.5 goals

We’re predicting goals in the Manchester Derby this weekend because the last two meetings between these two sides have produced 6-3 and 4-1 victories for Guardiola’s men. Over 2.5 goals have been scored in four of United’s last five outings as well as in three of Man city’s last six fixtures. Today should be no exception and we can surely see them scoring lots of goals on both ends Bet9ja have 1.67 odds, Paripesa have 1.76, and 1xbet have 1.76 odds.

Anytime Goalscorer (Manchester City)

Haaland

Erling Haaland has enjoyed a rest in Man City’s last couple of cup games but he will no doubt be back in the starting lineup on Saturday and we’re predicting at least one goal to come his way. The Norwegian star has taken the Premier League by storm with 21 goals to his name so far and nobody seems able to stop this goal machine. Bet9ja have 2.00 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 5.50.

Phil Foden

Foden has had his fair share of time on the bench in these past few games but has soon been included as a vital part of Pep’s squad in recent weeks. The English Forward scored in his FA Cup start against Chelsea and could be deployed by Guardiola up top to cause havoc to that United defense. He is a big game player and we are counting on him to score again today as he was on the scoresheet with a hat trick in the reverse fixture this season. Bet9ja have 3.85 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 4.50.

Anytime Goalscorer (Manchester City)

Rashford

England forward has scored in all six games since the World Cup – hitting seven goals in total – despite only starting four of those and he’s also provided two assists, so back Rashford to continue his hot streak even if United are unable to extend their winning run. He is a well-known big game player from the past season and with the form he is in we can’t exclude him. Bet9ja have 4.85 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 1.60.

Anthony Martial

He has had a not-so-stellar season but has been impressive when deployed up front for United this season. He links up well with Rashford and could have a big role in today’s fixture with the look of things. He has been in fine goalscoring form also and we can vouch for him to see a few chances today and probably score. Bet9ja have 4.50 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.60.

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