For 140 years, the Manchester Derby has been the grounds for fierce rivalry! For a long time, Manchester United was the stronger team, but over the past 20 years, Manchester City has also become a club to contend with.
It is one of the Premier League’s finest derbies alongside the London derbies between Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, among others. Manchester United has traditionally been the most successful club, especially under the leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson, but Middle Eastern oil dollars have turned Manchester City into a world-class club. This has allowed them to bring top players like Sergio Agüero, Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne, and many others to the blue part of Manchester.
Things have never been the same at Manchester United after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. The club has since won an FA Cup with Louis van Gaal, and the Europa League with José Mourinho, but it basically stopped there. United have since tried all sorts of things with different trainers. Now it is up to Erik ten Hag to get Manchester United back on top. They might be without Cristiano Ronaldo, but they have players like Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, and with whoever Erik ten Hag is allowed to buy.
The difference in the Premier League between the two clubs is just four points, in Manchester City’s favour. Can Manchester United at Old Trafford reduce the difference to one, thereby granting Arsenal a favour in the process?
Bet markets: Manchester United – Manchester City
Winner
Bookmakers do not yet dare to give Manchester United the favourites role at home. That will be partly due to City’s 6-3 win over United in the Premier League at the beginning of October. Think you can predict the winner this time? Head over to our sportsbook and see if you can benefit from your insights!
Goal scorers
Last time there were two hat-tricks, both by Manchester City players. One of course can be guessed, that being Erling Haaland. The other came in the name of the very talented Phil Foden. On the United side, Anthony Martial was successful twice. This season, Marcus Rashford has been the best on target for Erik ten Hag’s side. Be sure to look out for odds on a goal from him as well.
Rest/Final result
The odds on the toto (win, draw, loss) are often relatively low. There is more to be earned when betting on football if you look at a more specific betting market. For example, you can take the toto from the half-time score and the final result. In other words, who is ahead at half-time and who wins after 90 minutes? For example, Manchester City/Manchester City is at 2.60 in this case. If you think City won’t make the difference until after half-time (tie), you can get 5.00 times your stake back.
Both teams score
The Manchester Derby often features more goals when played at City’s Etihad Stadium. The last five encounters at Old Trafford ended in 0-1, 2-0, 0-0, 0-2, and 0-2. Both teams score has ‘yes’ at 1.60 and ‘no’ at 2.28.
Manchester United
Current form
Since early November, Manchester United have been doing extremely well. The defeat at Aston Villa was followed by four wins in a row in the Premier League. Coach Erik ten Hag’s team is also doing well in the FA Cup and League Cup. The gap with leaders Arsenal is nine points, but such things can change quickly in the Premier League.
Highlights
Goalkeeper David de Gea got off with a scare last week. A blunder and therefore counter-goal by Everton in the FA Cup did not prove fatal to Manchester United. He is the undisputed number one under the crossbar, but will not want to make too many mistakes. Antony scored another goal against Everton after a long time and would be happy if he could repeat this against Manchester City.
Worth knowing
Manchester United managed to win only one of the last seven league matches against City at Old Trafford, 2-0 on the 8th of March 2020. That was also the only time in the last 10 games that United came to more than one goal at home.
Manchester City
Current form
Manchester City gained seven points in three league matches after the 2022 World Cup. They won 3-1 at Leeds United, played 1-1 against Everton, and narrowly won 1-0 against Chelsea last week. This keeps Pep Guardiola’s team on the trail of leaders Arsenal. The two clubs will meet next month, after City played twice against Tottenham Hotspur.
Highlights
Well, of course it would be crazy not to mention the man of 21 goals in 16 league games here. Erling Haaland has come out of hibernation the way he went in: with a lot of goals. In four games for City, he scored four times. His main brother-in-arms is Kevin De Bruyne, who leads the Premier League with 9 assists so far.
Worth knowing
Against the other clubs from the ‘Big Six’, Manchester City is on four wins in six games this season. Only Liverpool managed to beat City this season, twice in fact. At the Community Shield, and once in the league. So Manchester United have been warned, especially after the 6-3 beating earlier this season.
History Manchester United – Manchester City
History & Rivalry
The two clubs first played each other back in 1881, although it was with different club names. Of course, they have traditionally been rivals, sharing the same city. Manchester United has had a longer high-level rivalry with Liverpool. Since Manchester City have definitely established themselves at the English top, this is a derby of note.
Statistics
In total, the tally of mutual duels stands at 188. Manchester United won 77, City 58 and it ended in a draw 53 times. In the Premier League (and its predecessors), the difference is smaller: United won 59 duels, City 48. Currently, Pep Guardiola’s City are on a winning streak of three in a row, with a goal difference of 12-4.
Prediction
Manchester United have been playing well since the winter break. Despite this we expect them to fall short in quality against Manchester City. This became painfully clear in their first encounter this season. We think Manchester City will pick up an important win at Old Trafford. Should that happen, Manchester United will have nothing to be ashamed of.
Top 3 memorable matches
20 September 2009: Manchester United – Manchester City 4-3
One of the best matches between these two rivals was at the start of the 2009/2010 season. Cristiano Ronaldo had just left United, while City had spent over £100 million on new players. The match went in all directions, including two magnificent goals by Craig Bellamy for City. It was United who pulled the longest straw in the end.
23 October 2011: Manchester United – Manchester City 1-6
Another match rich in goals was memorable for several reasons. This match came one day after Mario Balotelli’s incident. When he scored the 0-1, he showed the famous shirt with “Why always me?”. It was also the match in the most exciting Premier League season ever, because 2011-2012 was the season City grabbed their first league title in bizarre fashion. Sergio Agüero scored the winning goal against Sunderland in the last game in the 94th minute to clinch the title for City. Sir Alex Ferguson later called this match “his worst day ever”.
2 October 2022: Manchester City – Manchester United 6-3
We have referred to it a few times already. Three months ago, City flew past United in the last Manchester Derby. At half-time, it was already 4-0 due to two goals from both Erling Haaland and Phil Foden. After half-time, although United scored three times, Haaland and Foden were also allowed to complete their hat-trick.
