Will the Sky Blues stay on course in the landmark derby?
With 66 points out of a possible 81, Manchester City lead the Premier League table. The Sky Blues have only lost three of their 27 league games and currently have a six-point lead over Liverpool. However, the Reds have played one game less, so the championship question is far from settled, especially after the Citizens’ recent 3-2 home defeat to Tottenham.
The response of Guardiola’s team in the prestigious Manchester derby will be correspondingly important. If City lose again, things could get extremely tight in the title race. The bookmakers, however, do not believe this will happen. In the run-up to the clash between Manchester City and Manchester United, the odds are clearly in favour of the Sky Blues.
However, the Red Devils, who are currently fifth in the table and just missed out on qualification for the Champions League, will arrive in good form. United have not lost any of their last eight league games and celebrated a 2-0 away win in the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium only a year ago on 7 March 2021.
It is therefore sensible to avoid betting on the outcome of the match between Manchester City and Manchester United. Instead, we are betting on a maximum of one team scoring. After all, there have been no more goals on either side in any of the last six Manchester derbies.
Manchester City – Statistics & current form
Manchester City were not only the clear favourites in the run-up to the 2021/22 season in the English Champions 2022 prediction. The Sky Blues still have the best starting position now, eleven matchdays before the end of the season.
If nothing more goes wrong in the league and they can at least hold on to the draw in the decisive home match against rivals Liverpool on 10 April, the eighth English championship in the club’s history can no longer be taken away from the defending champions.
Two of the three defeats have come in home games
This fixture is all the more telling for the Citizens, who had already made use of several regulars in the FA Cup quarter-final at Championship bottom side Peterborough during the week and struggled to a 2-0 away win against compact opposition, failing to muster a single shot on goal in the first half.
It is true that the Sky Blues have won six of their last seven competitive games. However, the 3-2 defeat at home to Tottenham in the last Premier League match still reverberates. After all, two-thirds of all league games lost by the once home-strong Citizens have come at home.
Only one win in the last seven home games against Manchester United
Adding to that, things haven’t gone too smoothly at home against their city rivals of late either. Guardiola’s team has won only one of the last seven home games against the Red Devils (one draw, five defeats).
Accordingly, it would be risky to follow the favourite tip, especially as the betting providers see the Sky Blues in the house-high favourite role.
Predicted Manchester City line-up:
Ederson – Cancelo – Laporte – Dias – Stones – Gündogan – Rodri – De Bruyne – Sterling – Foden – Silva
Last matches played by Manchester City:
FA Cup
03/01 2022 – Peterboro 0 – 2 Manchester City
Premier League
02/26 2022 – Everton 0 – 1 Manchester City
02/19 2022 – Manchester City 2 – 3 Tottenham
Champions League Final
02/15 2022 – Sporting CP 0 – 5 Manchester City
Premier League
02/12 2022 – Norwich 0 – 4 Manchester City
Manchester United – Statistics & current form
Manchester United Football Club are in the midst of a complicated transitional season. After finishing runners-up last summer, the Red Devils are currently in no way in contention for the championship and, as things stand, would have even missed out on qualification for the Champions League.
The top flight is therefore the only competition in which Ralf Rangnick’s team still has a chance of winning the title after the 1-1 draw with Atlético Madrid. Before that, however, they must not lose sight of the top four in their important duels with Manchester City and Tottenham.
Unbeaten for eight league games in a row
Generally, MUFC go into the derby in good form. Rangnick’s side are unbeaten in eight league games in a row. However, United did not manage to get more than a draw in four of those games, which was not enough considering their opponents Aston Villa, Burnley, Southampton and most recently Watford.
Added to this is the disgraceful exit from the FA Cup, when a home game against second division Middlesborough was lost on penalties at the beginning of February. The question of whether the Red Devils will finish the season with a black eye or end up without a title and a Champions League spot will thus be given a decisive direction in the seminal games in March.
At the centre of attack, Ronaldo lacks alternatives
The problem is that Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t quite been his old self since his return. The Portuguese has only nine goals from 23 Premier League games, while the injury to Edison Cavani and the superannuation of Mason Greenwood mean that there is a lack of alternatives, particularly in the centre of attack.
Against this background, too, much in this Manchester derby is likely to depend on the defence. It makes all the more sense to bet on a low-scoring encounter between Manchester City and Manchester United.
Predicted Manchester United line-up:
De Gea – Telles – Varane – Lindelöf – Wan-Bissaka – Fred – Matic – Pogba – Fernandes – Elanga – Ronaldo
Last matches played by Manchester United:
Premier League
02/26 2022 – Manchester United 0 – 0 Watford
Champions League Final
02/23 2022 – Atletico Madrid 1 – 1 Manchester United
Premier League
02/20 2022 – Leeds 2 – 4 Manchester United
02/15 2022 – Manchester United 2 – 0 Brighton
02/12 2022 – Manchester United 1 – 1 Southampton
Manchester City – Manchester United Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Head to head: 56 – 53 – 77
The Manchester Derby has taken place 186 times so far and MUFC lead the head-to-head comparison with 77 wins. The first leg went 2-0 to the Sky Blues. However, of the last seven home games against the Red Devils, City have won just one (one draw, five defeats).
Manchester City – Manchester Tip
When it comes to Manchester City vs Manchester United, the prediction has to take into account that the Red Devils traditionally know how to sell themselves well in the Manchester derby. Rangnick’s eleven may have collected 19 points less than their city rivals in league play. Nevertheless, the English record champions know they have a great chance of taking a big step towards the Champions League with a fourth successive away win at the Etihad Stadium.
The three-way system for this explosive derby, in which the Red Devils’ away victory is by no means out of the question, is correspondingly complicated. Also with a view to the fact that in the last six Manchester derbies a maximum of one team has scored, we therefore deviate to this tip.
