There is no doubt that the two teams that have shone brightest in the Premier League this season have been Manchester City and Manchester United. Currently sitting in 1st and 2nd spot in the table respectively, ordinarily this game would be viewed as a title showdown.
However, with Manchester City on a run of 21 victories in a row and with a comfortable 15-point lead over Manchester United after their game with Wolves on Tuesday night, in truth the best United can hope for is to end their rivals record-breaking run and close the gap a little.
In derby games though, the form book can go out of the window as teams battle for local supremacy. After playing away to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, United will have 24-hours fewer to prepare for this game but it is a match that neither side should have any problems motivating themselves for.
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Let’s now take a look ahead to the weekend’s big game by previewing the two teams playing and then we will bring you our top tips for the match itself.
Manchester City v Manchester United
- Date – Sunday 7th March
- Kick Off – 4.30pm
- Live – On Sky Sports
This fixture has seen a larger than usual number of away wins in recent times with seven of the last ten
matches between the two teams going the way of the away team. Only two fixtures out of the last ten have been home wins (one each for City and United). The only draw came earlier this season when the teams drew 0-0 in a dour game at Old Trafford.
City come into this game on the back of 21 winning games in a row, which is a new record for a Premier League team. However, they will be wary of United who have won on their last two visits to the Etihad Stadium.
For United, the onus is on them to pick up points to maintain their place in the Champions League qualification places ahead of the likes of Leicester, West Ham, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton and Aston Villa plus a win over City would be a huge morale boost for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team heading into the final third of the season.
How Do The Teams Compare This Season?
EPL & Season Cup Record
- Man City – Played 27, Won 20, Drew 5, Lost 2 – For 56, Against 17 – Points 65
- Man Utd – Played 26, Won 14, Drew 8, Lost 4 – For 53, Against 32 – Points 50
Reverse Fixture – Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City
Both teams are still in the FA Cup at the quarterfinal stage, where Man City will face Everton away and Man Utd take on Leicester also away from home.
Manchester City are also in the Carabao Cup Final against Tottenham. City are also in the Champions League, while United were eliminated from the Champions League before Christmas and are now in the Europa League.
Current Form (Past 10 Games)
- Manchester City – W W W W W W W W W W (City have won all their last 21 games)
- Manchester United – d d W W D W D W d L (United have not been beaten away from home in the EPL this season)
Historic Record Between Man City & Man Utd
Since the teams were formed, there have been 185 Manchester derby games between the teams and it is
Manchester United who have enjoyed the most success winning 76 of those matches, compared to 55 for Manchester City. The other 53 games all finishing as a draw.
However, recent history between the teams is much more evenly contested. Since Manchester City won four successive derby fixtures between April 2013 and November 2014, the 16 games contested between the two since then have seen seven wins for United, six for City and three games drawn, all by a 0-0 scoreline.
One thing to note about recent games is that the away team has dome markedly better than the home. In the last ten games, the away team has landed the win on seven occasions, with the home team landing just two wins and just one draw between the teams which came earlier this season at Old Trafford (0-0).
Manchester City Team News & Predicted Team
This season more than any other has perhaps shown the value in Pep Guardiola investing so heavily in so many quality players. While rivals have had to deal with innumerable injuries and have not had the players to come in and cover, City have rotated their squad all season long to keep players fresh and the depth of that squad has played a big part in City’s success.
Their consistency over the last few months has been astonishing and with 21 successive wins, they could go on to set a new record in Europe if they can better Ajax’s 26 winning game streak which currently holds the record.
After a 4-1 win over Wolves in midweek, I can’t see Pep Guardiola making any more than a couple of changes for the weekend.
Predicted Manchester City XI – (4-3-3) – Ederson, Walker, Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Gundogan, Rodrigo, Silva.B, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Sterling.
Manchester United Team News & Predicted Team
Having had 24-hours fewer to prepare for this game than their rivals, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
may elect to make a few changes in midfield and attack to ensure fresh legs against their most fierce rivals.
Solskjaer may elect to rest some players for the midweek game with Crystal Palace with an eye on this fixture at the weekend and I think that is more likely than starting with one or two key men on the bench here.
Paul Pogba is close to being fully fit again and it will be interesting to see if he plays a part this weekend, although if he does I feel it is most likely he will do so from the bench.
Predicted Manchester United XI – (4-2-3-1) – De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Shaw, Maguire, Lindelof, Fred, McTominay, Fernandes, James, Rashford, Martial
Man City v Man Utd – Top Betting Tips
Here’s our top tips for the Manchester derby game this weekend:
- Full Time Result – Manchester City win – 8/15
- Correct Score – Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United – 15/2
- Anytime Goalscorer – Raheem Sterling (Man City) – 7/5
As you can see I have backed Manchester City to land the win here but I think they will have to do it with a single goal victory. United are very strong on the road but I think City’s defence can cope with that. The game at Old Trafford between the two was very tight and I expect the same here but I think given the run of form they are on, City can just do enough to claim the win.
*All odds shown were correct with bet365 Sport as of Wednesday 3rd March 2021