Manchester City vs Manchester United
It’s one of the biggest games in the Premier League diary and a fixture we always look forward to. And in Manchester, the battle lines are drawn and the fans on either side become tenser by the minute as the big day approaches.
These two old adversaries have been playing each other since 1881, and every game is eagerly anticipated. On this occasion, it looked glum for the Red half on Wednesday evening as United toiled in Turin while City strolled to a win against Shakhtar. But two late goals gave Jose Mourinho’s team a spectacular win against Juventus, and that breathed life into their preparations for this big domestic clash.
City boss Pep Guardiola insists that Manchester United are still in the title race, but depending on the outcome of Sunday’s match, I’m not sure how many will agree with him. It’s hard for SBOBET tips to back against the Sky Blues with their scintillating style and ruthless pursuit of points, but Jose is always up for a big game. Manchester City vs Manchester United highlights are well worth a watch and this one will be no different.
Pep knows how hard it is to rely on form in a derby fixture, and has been keen to point out this is just one more game.
But it isn’t… is it?
Talking points
Mahrez is paying off for City
The Sky Blues overcame a tricky hurdle recently with a 0-1 win away to Spurs, and that’s the kind of result which wins titles. Summer signing Riyad Mahrez scored the winner and he was on target again in the Champions League win over Shakhtar.
The one black mark was his horrendous penalty miss against Liverpool which cost the Sky Blues two points. But apart from that, he looks worth every penny of the £60m fee Pep paid for him with his driving runs, electric pace and a keen eye for goal. Of course, he’s surrounded by attacking talent led by Sergio Aguero and will have to work hard to keep his place alongside the likes of Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus.
Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling has taken the art of falling over your own feet to win a penalty to new levels. When he kicked the ground instead of the ball against Shakhtar Donetsk, the referee, the only man in the stadium to see contact, pointed to the penalty spot as City cruised to a 6-0 win.
United need to start their games more quickly
Could it possibly get any better for the Red Devils after their dramatic last-gasp win against Juventus in midweek? Jose seems to be revelling in his ‘me-against-the-world’ role, cupping his ears at the end of the match to enrage Juve fans and a few of their players.
But that late win was totally against the balance of play, and a similar performance and result against Bournemouth in the Premier League won’t convince anyone Manchester United are about to climb into the top four. It seems like they need to take a first-half bashing before they get into gear, and they could be three down by the break if they start like that against the Sky Blues.
But I don’t think Jose will let that happen in the biggest game of all. Ander Hererra could be a key man for the Red Devils: he did a job on Eden Hazard when United played Chelsea last season and, along with Marouane Fellaini, has the physicality to unsettle City’s stars.
History
Manchester City come into this game on a six-match winning run, including brutal destructions of Burnley, Southampton and Shakhtar. United’s form is far less impressive: they have won the last three but all by a narrow margin, and all three could easily have gone the other way.
But City haven’t had it easy against their rivals, winning just one of the last five meetings and were stunned, on the way to their record season, when the Red Devils came back from a two-goal deficit to win at the Etihad last year. Paul Pogba scored twice in that game, and United desperately need a big performance from him on Sunday.
The Sky Blues should, in all conventional wisdom, win this match. But Derby games are great levellers, and Jose Mourinho is a specialist in winning the big clashes when least expected.
So let’s have a look at the Manchester City vs Manchester United odds and make a decision.
Betting tip
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Manchester City vs Manchester United | Under 3.25 goals @1.87 |
| November 12, 00:30 (GMT+8) |
The Sky Blues are as short as 1.36 to win this game, with United way out at 7.20 and the draw at 5.20. But I expect the Red Devils to put up a real fight, and they could possibly frustrate their hosts if they start from the first whistle.
A 2-0 home win at odds of 7.40 is the most likely scoreline, and that looks about right to me. But remember…this is the Manchester Derby!
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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