Manchester United v Manchester City: Entertainment Awaits in Derby Day Battle
The recent January transfer signing of Portuguese midfielder, Bruno Fernandes has given Manchester United a significant lift in terms of attacking intent and the former Sporting Lisbon man has already added goals to his excellent performances.
The biggest test for Fernandes and the re-invigored United comes on Sunday afternoon – kick: off 16:30 GMT as Manchester City roll into Old Trafford for the latest instalment of their fierce rivalry.
It is probably fair to suggest that United are more desperate for the points in this game, considering their battle to make the top four places in the Premier League, which would yield Champions’ League qualification at the end of the season. City lie 22 points behind Liverpool in second spot in the league standings, and Pep Guardiola’s side are seven points clear of Leicester in third, which means they are effectively treading water until the end of the season from a Premier League perspective.
The side issue, is the potential suspension and fine hanging over Manchester City, following a UEFA investigation into financial fair play irregularities. That could offer United the lifeline of qualifying for the Champions League in fifth spot, but the powerbrokers at the Etihad Stadium are strenuously denying the allegations, with the appeal hearing to be contested in the weeks to come.
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Event Date: March 8, 2020
Match Odds
Of the last seven meetings between the two teams in all competitions, six games have ended in victories for the away team, and the bookmakers believe this trend is expected to continue on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester City are the strong favourites to win this game and can be backed at the best available odds – at the time of writing – of 11/18 with SportNation. United have just one win in the Premier League at home against their local rivals since 2011 – which is an alarming statistic – and highlights the reasoning behind the short odds of the away team.
The Draw is second best in the Match Betting market at 18/5 with SportingBet, while a victory for United – and a home and away Premier League double over the reigning champions can be backed with Betway and William Hill at the tempting odds of 9/2 on the home side.
This fixture can be deemed as a real barometer for United boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his team on how far, or not, they have progressed in recent months. The Red Devils have improved defensively – barring last weekends’ debacle involving David de Gea at Goodison Park. This contest is likely to tell us significantly more on both teams, but we can expect a highly entertaining game.
Individual Goal Scorers
Manchester City’s Argentinian striker, Sergio Aguero scored the opening goal in last Sunday’s Carabao Cup final win over Aston Villa, and is very likely to line-up against United at the weekend. The bookmakers obviously believe this to be the case as Aguero is priced up as the 10/3 favourite with VBet to open the scoring.
Aguero’s fellow City strike-partner, Gabriel Jesus is next best at 19/5 with Unibet and 888Sport. The Brazilian recently notched a key goal against Real Madrid in the 2-1 away win in the Champions League, which highlights his excellent recent form. The issue for Jesus is whether Guardiola will decide to start him, or to unleash him from the substitutes bench.
England forward, Raheem Sterling can be had with Unibet and 888Sport once again at the top price of 11/2., while Betfred and VBet offer German international wide-man Leroy Sane at 13/2, but he is still unlikely to start this game following a lengthy injury layoff.
Manchester United’s first interest in the First Goal scorer betting is with striker, Anthony Martial, who is also a 10/1 chance with Betway Lukaku has missed the last few games for United through injury, so his participation is somewhat unclear.
French forward Anthony Martial has flourished in recent weeks under Mourinho and is worthy of first goal consideration at 7/1 with Unibet and 888Sport. Martial has been in solid recent form in a United shirt, with three goals in his last four appearances.
Solskjaer is likely to have the dilemma of choosing either youthful striker Mason Greenwood, or to blood another January signing in former Watford striker Odion Ighalo in attack. Greenwood is a 19/2 chance with Unibet and 888Sport, while Ighalo could become a darling of the Stretford End by scoring first in this game at 10/1 with VBet.
A couple of others to consider include Bruno Fernandes, who has already taken on penalty duties for United, which is an added bonus for punters at 10/1 with Betfred, while Spanish midfielder, Rodrigo has chipped in with some important goals for his Manchester City team, and he looks to be worthy of consideration at 16/1 with William Hill and Coral.
Other Side Bets
As previously stated in this article, we believe that goals are on the agenda in this game – and it is very likely that both teams will be involved. The 3/4 on offer with Betway rates as solid value for Both Teams to Score in this game, and it is a selection that should be taken.
Betway are once again top price in the Over / Under 2.5 Goals market at 13/20, which is also another bet worthy of taking, but we are going to try and sneak out another goal in this game, and plump for Over 3.5 Goals at 17/10 with Sport Nation. An early goal would really be crucial in the success of this bet, but we believe it is worth chancing.
Our Correct Score offering is for an entertaining 2-2 draw in what we believe will be a pulsating clash at Old Trafford. Pep Guardiola will set his team out to dominate the game from the onset, but United could have the penetration required to have success against the Sky Blues. A share of the spoils is not the ideal result for Solskjaer and his team, but a stalemate Is our choice of outcome. The 2-2 Correct Score bet can be taken with SportingBet at 15/1.
Best Bets:
- Both Teams to Score in the Match at 3/4 with Betway
- Over 3.5 Goals in the Match at 17/10 with SportNation
- Manchester United 2-2 Manchester City Correct Score bet at 15/1 with SportingBet.
