English Premier
2021-11-06 - Manchester United vs Manchester City
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 6th November 2021 - Kick Off 12:30pm
This game is live on TV
Manchester United
Another late effort from Cristiano Ronaldo has dragged Manchester United out of a Champions League hole and means the team are still in control of their own destiny when it comes to securing a place in the Last 16. The 2-2 draw with Atalanta has not really papered over the cracks that fans are seeing and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will need a big performance and a big result in the first Manchester derby of the season.
The win over Tottenham Hotspur eased the pressure on the manager that had built up in the week before that fixture and it means Manchester United are back up to 5th in the Premier League table. They are 3 points behind West Ham United in the top four, while Manchester United have a relatively disappointing 2-1-2 record at Old Trafford in the Premier League.
Manchester United have lost 1 of their last 4 games in all competitions, but there has to be a worry about the number of goals being conceded despite that. They have won 2 of their last 6 at Old Trafford in all competitions and there will be some worried fans heading back into the Stadium for the first time since the embarrassing defeat to rivals Liverpool.
Paul Pogba is suspended and Raphael Varane has been ruled out. Victor Lindelof is a doubt for this weekend, while the likes of Mason Greenwood, Fred and Edinson Cavani will be pushing for starts.
Manchester City
There was some controversy when Pep Guardiola suggested the Champions League game against Club Brugge was more important than the Manchester derby, but the quotes were taken out of context. The manager was simply making the point that every game matters to Manchester City and his players should only focus on the next fixture on the schedule rather than looking too far ahead.
The win in the Champions League puts Manchester City on the brink of Qualifying for the Last 16, but now the attention will turn to the early kick off in the Manchester derby. The side are 3rd in the Premier League table and they are 5 points behind leaders Chelsea, while Manchester City have a 3-1-1 record away from home in the top flight.
Manchester City beat Club Brugge 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, but prior to that they had been Knocked Out of the League Cup on Penalties and had been upset by Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Those fixtures have been a disappointment for Pep Guardiola and his squad, but Manchester City have won 3 of their last 4 away Premier League games.
Aymeric Laporte is suspended and Ferran Torres misses out through injury. However, the rest of the squad is healthy and Ruben Dias was rested in the win over Club Brugge.
Head to Head
Manchester United took four points from Manchester City in the Premier League last season.
The game at Old Trafford finished goalless and it was Manchester City who won the League Cup Semi Final that was played here in January.
Manchester United have won 1 of their last 6 at home against Manchester City.
Prediction
The Manchester derby is still a very big fixture on the calendar, although these days Manchester United are less likely to use any success in this fixture to take them on to bigger and better things.
Instead it is Manchester City who have been loading up the trophy cabinet, but Manchester United have been the team who have been getting the better of the head to head. They are unbeaten in 4 Premier League games against the noisy neighbours and Manchester United have won 3 of those fixtures, although the majority of recent successes have been in games at the Etihad Stadium.
That is backed up by the fact that Manchester United have won 1 of their last 6 at Old Trafford against Manchester City and there will be some nervousness amongst the fans on Saturday. The last time they saw their team play here it ended in an embarrassing defeat to a major rival, and some fans will be worrying that a similar kind of result could be the outcome of this one.
A late Cristiano Ronaldo goal salvaged a point for Manchester United in the Champions League during the week, but it was another sub-par performance under the current manager. After barely escaping with his job following the defeat to Liverpool, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can ill-afford another really bad loss ahead of the November international break.
He has found a way to earn big results against Pep Guardiola and that has to offer Manchester United some encouragement. However, they cannot keep playing at their current level with the magic moments helping Manchester United out of a hole, while they look pretty poor defensively and are going to be without Raphael Varane and, potentially, Victor Lindelof this week.
Manchester City have produced some big wins away from home in the Premier League and they have been much more solid all around than their rivals. In recent games they have been punished for mistakes being made, but in the main Manchester City continue to be tough to break down and they will control much of the play.
Unlike Liverpool, Manchester City have been a little more inconsistent in converting their chances in the final third as they continue to struggle without a real number nine. The win over Brighton showed Manchester City can still score goals without a recognised striker, but the narrow wins over Leicester City and Chelsea have been founded on strong defensive performances.
It does feel like a game in which the first goal is going to be huge and I do think it will be a close match, mainly because of the way these teams have matched up with each other. The last 5 Manchester derby games have seen one of the teams fail to score and that could be the outcome again.
My feeling is that Manchester City will show the superior defensive system which ends up helping them find a way to earn the victory. I hate to say that, but it is also not much of a surprise to see the visitors at a much shorter price than Liverpool considering the underlying numbers produced.
However, Manchester United have matched up well with Manchester City and any team with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line have to be respected. The injuries at the back and the absence of Paul Pogba does not help the home team much though and I do think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is going to want to set his team up to be dangerous on the counter attack.
Manchester City should be aware of that and they have looked good enough at the back to make me believe that the team that scores first may be able to do enough to contain the other in the first derby of the season. It would be a major upset if Manchester United were to win on current form, but Tottenham Hotspur managed to do that behind a strong defensive foundation and this could be the sixth derby in a row where one of these teams fails to score.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll back Both Teams to Score- NO at 2.40 with BetVictor
