Manchester City vs. Manchester United

March 3, 2024

Spooky Express previews Sunday's Premier League clash between Manchester City and Manchester United, including betting prediction, team news, and possible starting XIs.

Manchester United travel across town to face bitter rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Manchester City claimed a 3-0 win at Old Trafford when the sides last met in October, and they will be looking to earn their third consecutive home win over United.

Erik ten Hag needs no reminders of how difficult a trip to the Etihad can be, having lost 6-3 last season in the Dutchman's first Manchester derby.

All in all, City have dominated United in their recent head-to-head matchups. They have won five of their last six matches against the Red Devils in all competitions, as both sides also faced off in the FA Cup final last season.

It was the first time in the history of these two glorious clubs that a Manchester derby was staged in a Cup final when Pep Guardiola's side won 2-1 at Wembley last June, just a week before their Champions League triumph.

Manchester City Betting Preview (-400 at Everygame)

Pep Guardiola's side enjoyed a comfortable trip to Luton in midweek, with the 6-2 thumping of Luton Town securing them an FA Cup quarter-final tie against Newcastle United at the Etihad later this month.

The reigning champions would be aiming to extend their unbeaten record at the Etihad this term, even though they still had dropped points in four of their league games against Liverpool, Tottenham, Crystal Palace, and Chelsea (all of them between late November and mid-February).

Yet, City heads into the derby on an 18-game unbeaten run across all competitions (winning 16 of the games) since a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa on 6 December.

Pep Guardiola's side will also host FC Copenhagen in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie next week. Still, a comfortable 3-1 first-leg victory in Denmark prioritizes their next two league matches against rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.

Ederson, Rodri, Ruben Dias, and Phil Foden were all unused substitutes at Luton on Tuesday night, and all four would expect to walk straight back into the starting XI against Manchester United, given how important they are to Guardiola's setup.

Furthermore, Guardiola took off four more first-team players once City's quarter-final spot was secured. Nathan Ake, John Stones, Bernardo Silva, and five-goal-hero Erling Haaland put their feet up in the final stages at Kenilworth Road.

The dynamic partnership between Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland dismantled Luton Town in midweek, and everyone from the blue corner of Manchester will expect more of the same on Sunday. As for comparison, Haaland had scored a total of five goals in his 11 previous appearances for City since the November international break.

In addition to De Bruyne's magic touch, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva can also occupy the No.10 area, with Mateo Kovacic able to bridge the gap between defense and midfield that Chelsea exploited at the Etihad recently. The Croatian midfielder has made City look far more balanced over the last week and will hope to start against Man United on Sunday.

Erling Haaland boasts five goals and three assists in four appearances against Manchester United in all competitions. The Norwegian scored a hat-trick and added two more assists in his first Manchester derby, while he failed to score in the 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford and the FA Cup final victory last season.

However, Haaland was back on track when he netted a brace and assisted Phil Foden's goal for the 3-0 victory at Old Trafford earlier this campaign.

Julian Alvarez ended his streak of starting every league game for Manchester City as the Argentine forward was only introduced as a second-half substitute at Bournemouth last weekend.

Meanwhile, Jack Grealish picked up an injury, and the England international will be sidelined for a couple of weeks.

Manchester United Betting Preview (+900 at Everygame)

Erik ten Hag's side will target a derby day victory when they face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Apart from the glory and dignity of winning that fixture, it's a much-needed result for United, who have lost ground in the Champions League qualification race last weekend.

Manchester United's four-game winning streak in the league ended when they suffered an unexpected 2-1 home loss to Fulham last weekend.

They will make the short hop across the City to get their top four charges back on track.

United are already 11 points behind Aston Villa in fourth place, as the Villans earned a last-gasp 3-2 win at struggling Luton Town on Saturday. They are also six points behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have just mounted a 3-1 comeback win over London rivals Crystal Palace.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday night, the Red Devils continued their FA Cup quest with a late winner by Casemiro at Nottingham Forest. With the 1-0 victory at the City Ground - their sixth consecutive away win in all competitions, Erik ten Hag's men have advanced to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, which will see them host arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford just before this month's international break.

The Reds will be without four defensive options, with Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Luke Shaw all injured. At the same time, center-back Harry Maguire also missed United's last game against Nottingham Forest through an unknown injury, and the England international will be assessed ahead of the Manchester Derby.

With Luke Shaw and Malacia both sidelined, Sofyan Amrabat should continue at left-back, and the Moroccan will indeed have a difficult task against City's attacking line.

Mason Mount and Anthony Martial are among the long-term absentees, but the most significant blow arguably comes from Rasmus Hojlund's absence. The Denmark forward will miss the crunch clash with Pep Guardiola's side after suffering a muscular injury that has ruled him out for a few weeks.

The issue comes at the worst possible moment for Hojlund and his club as the Danish forward enjoyed his best scoring form since moving to Old Trafford, scoring in five consecutive games and netting seven goals in six matches. That said, Marcus Rashford is expected to lead the line at the Etihad.

Elsewhere, experienced defender Raphael Varane and captain Bruno Fernandes are expected to be fit for Sunday's derby, with the pair overcoming injury complaints to feature in United's FA Cup win at Nottingham Forest in midweek.

Possible Starting Lineups of Manchester City and Manchester United

Manchester City: Ederson - Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji - Phil Foden, Rodri, John Stones, Bernardo Silva - Kevin De Bruyne, Julian Alvarez - Erling Haaland. (3-4-2-1)

Manchester United: Andre Onana - Diogo Dalot, Raphaël Varane, Victor Lindelof, Sofyan Amrabat - Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro - Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho - Marcus Rashford. (4-2-3-1)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

Unbeaten in their last 24 Premier League home matches (19-5-0) - since a shock 2-1 loss to Brentford on the eve of the 2022 World Cup - Manchester City are again firm favorites as they chase down an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title.

United still holds the fourth-best away record in the division (7-1-5), but they need something exceptional to stop their title-chasing neighbors at the Etihad right now.

Spooky Express Free Play: Outcome And Both To Score - Manchester City and Yes +130 at Everygame for 5/10 Units

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