Premier League: Manchester City vs Manchester United betting preview

While Manchester United may not be the same force of the past, it’s always a treat when they travel to the blue side of Manchester to lock horns with title-holders Man City at the Etihad Stadium. The kick-off is scheduled for 10:30 PM ET. City is coming off a massive 6-2 victory over newly-promoted Luton Town on Tuesday where Erling Haaland scored a mind-boggling five goals. As for the Red Devils, they lost 2-1 to Fulham last time but have been playing better as of late.

Manchester Derby history

There have been 191 Manchester derbies in total. United has won 78, while City has come out victorious 60 times. 53 meetings ended level. In recent years, however, the Sky Blues are the more dominant side. Back in October, City beat their foes 6-3 at Old Trafford and ran out 4-1 winners in the clash prior to that. However, the Red Devils grabbed back-to-back victories against Pep Guardiola’s side from December of 2019 to March of 2021.

Man City

The Cityzens have the treble very much in sight for the second campaign in a row, having moved onto the next round of the FA Cup with the win over Luton while still in the Premier League title race and through to the Round of 16 of the Champions League. Pep’s group is only a point behind Liverpool in the table and just one slip-up by the Reds could allow the reigning champions to move into top spot with not that many games left in the season.

City is in fantastic form at the moment, going unbeaten in 16 matches. Their last defeat was in early December to Aston Villa. Since then, two draws are about the only negative takeaway from how they’ve been playing. For the most part, this is a powerful side with so much talent in every area. Haaland continues to fire on all cylinders, leading the top flight with 17 goals. His five goals on Tuesday might’ve been in the FA Cup, but it shows just how clinical the Norwegian is.

Although facing United is never easy, the hosts have yet to lose on home soil this term, compiling a 9-4-0 record. This is a very tough squad to beat at the Etihad. And with Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne clicking in every way imaginable, the Red Devils will have their work cut out for them. City is a huge -400 favorite at BetVictor.

Manchester United

Sure, United fans believe their club should be regularly in the top four and competing for the titles, but that’s simply not the reality in recent years. Instead, Erik ten Hag’s side is essentially fighting for a spot in Europa for next season. The Red Devils own a 14-2-10 record but have struggled immensely to produce the goods, scoring only 36 times in 26 games. On a more positive note, they’ve only conceded 36, too.

United had won four straight fixtures before Fulham beat them over the weekend courtesy of an Alex Iwobi winner in the dying moments of injury time. Defender Harry Maguire bagged the lone goal for the hosts, who had 21 attempts and nine on target, yet couldn’t find another.

Nevertheless, that was the Red Devils’ first loss in seven appearances, which is a definite step in the right direction. Unfortunately, though, striker Rasmus Hojlund is currently sidelined for a few weeks due to a muscle strain. He was finally starting to find his best, so it will be up to Marcus Rashford to hopefully create a moment of brilliance or two at the Etihad. United is a clear underdog and could offer some value if you’re planning to do some soccer betting this weekend.