The Manchester giants face one another in an epic match-up this Saturday!
Last updated: April 4, 2018 by Leon Marshal
Game details
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| Kick-off: | Saturday, 17:30 |
| Venue: | Etihad Stadium |
| Coverage: | Sky Sports |
| Home Team Form: | WWWWW |
| Away Team Form: | LWWWW |
| Last Meeting: | Man. Utd 1 – 2 Man. City |
| Competition: | Premier League |
The Manchester derby is set to be an epic contest that could see Manchester City claim the Premier title in front of their home fans. Pep Guardiola has already hinted that he will be prioritising the Champions League commitments of his team as they prepare to play Liverpool over 2-legs in the Quarter Finals. Does this open a window of opportunity for the Red Devils, or will City continue to their relentless Premier League form?
Manchester City will be certainly up for winning this fixture. It is a perfect spectacle for the title to be secured against their staunchest rivals. But with the Champions League looming, they may have to rest some key first team players to ensure they have the strongest possible set up against Liverpool in the Champions League. With the first leg being played at Anfield this Wednesday 4th April, it will be interesting to see how the players pull through, and if any injuries will affect this weekend derby fixture. One thing is for sure though, Manchester City will win the Premier League, whether it be this weekend, or next, it will not be hard to understand if Pep opts to put forward a more modest line up.
Jose Mourinho has had a good season, having spent huge sums of money in the summer and January transfer window, he has achieved the minimum expectations. But questions will be lingering from the Manchester United hierarchy of how they let their main rivals take such a commanding grasp of the division and lock off the title race from such a distant point in the season. It is something that will be brought to a head this weekend, and Mourinho will be looking for a top-class performance from his squad as they head to the Etihad fortress where they have not lost a game all season. Having won their previous 5 games in the Premier League they’ll be full of confidence going into this one!
Team News
Aguero is recovering from a knock he picked up and may be sidelined for the fixture.
Mendy is recovering from a long term ankle injury and is unavailable.
Daley Blind is unavailable due to a calf strain.
Phil Jones will be absent recovering from a long term knee injury.
Expected Line-Ups:
| . | |
| Manchester City (3-5-2): | Moares, Kompany, Otamendi, Walker, Laporte, David Silva, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Sterling, Sane, Jesus |
| Subs: | Bernardo Silva, Gündoğan, Danilo, Bravo, Adarabioyo, Zinchenko, Nmecha |
| Injured: | Stones |
| Doubtful: | Aguero |
| Not available: |
| . | |
| Manchester United (4-2-3-1): | De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Lindelöf, Young, Mata, Matić, Pogba, Lingard, Sanchez, Lukaku |
| Subs: | Rashford, Herrera, McTominay, Baily, Martial, Shaw, Castro |
| Injured: | Blind |
| Doubtful: | — |
| Not available: |
So Far This Season
| . | . | . |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester City So Far This Season | Manchester United So Far This Season | |
| 1st | League Position | 2nd |
| 27 (13) | Wins (away) | 21 (8) |
| 0 – 6 vs. Watford | Biggest Win | 4 – 0 vs. Crystal Palace |
| 3 (2) | Draws (away) | 7 (3) |
| 4 – 3 vs Liverpool | Biggest Defeat | 2 – 0 vs Tottenham |
| Sergio Aguero (21) | Top Goal Scorer | Romelu Lukaku (15) |
| Y46, R2 | Discipline | Y54, R1 |
| 1 | Failures to Score | 5 |
| 15 | Clean Sheets | 16 |
| 40% | Both Teams to Score Games | 47% |
| 71% | Over 2.5 Goals | 55% |
| 29% | Under 2.5 Goals | 45% |
- Manchester City will play Liverpool over two legs in the Champions league, either side of this fixture.
- Manchester United are sitting 16 points behind Manchester City in the Premier League.
- Manchester City have only lost once this season, in a goal fest against Liverpool ending 4 – 3.
- A win for Manchester City this weekend will mathematically secure the title. In reality, the race was over a couple of months ago, but this will no-doubt be celebrated tremendously.
Head to Head
| Last Five Competitive Meetings Between The Sides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Game Result | Round | First Goal-scorer |
| 11/12/2017 | Man. Utd 1 – 2 Man. City | Premier League | Silva 43′ |
| 21/07/2017 | Man. Utd 2 – 0 Man. City | ICC | Lukaku 37′ |
| 04/01/2017 | Man. City 0 – 0 Man. Utd | Premier League | – |
| 26/11/2016 | Man. Utd 1 – 0 Man. City | League Cup | Mata 54′ |
| 20/12/2015 | Man. Utd 1 – 2 Man. City | Premier League | De Bruyne 15′ |
Conclusion & Betting Tips
This game is always an excellent display of fire and fury as both sets of players are playing for the pride of the city of Manchester. With the Champions League reaching the final stages and Man City having all but won the title it may be a great opportunity for Manchester United. Take Manchester United to win at 7/2 with BetVictor.