Manchester City VS Manchester United Match Prediction

These sides have met 173 times before, and United hold a massive advantage with 72 wins to City's 50.  There have also been 51 draws.  Perhaps it is most fair and reasonable to look at the head to head record between the two sides since the takeover occurred back in 2009.  Since then, they have 24 times.  In that time, City have ten wins and two draws to United's 12. So City have been more competitive since the takeover, but they are still trailing United.  Here's a look at their latest five meetings:

Oct 26, 2016: United 1-0 City (EFL Cup)
Sep 10, 2016: United 1-2 City
Mar 20, 2016: City 0-1 United
Oct 25, 2015: United 0-0 City
Apr 12, 2015: United 4-2 City

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Man City vs Man United Prediction

United just look too strong to lose right now, and City are wavering a bit.  Since City are a point ahead, they should try to settle for a draw, but we all know that is unlikely to happen.  United edge it here.

Correct Score Prediction: Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United

Man City vs Man United Betting Tips and Odds

Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:

Manchester City are at 10/11 to win, a draw is at 11/4, and a Manchester United win is at 16/5.

Both teams to score is set at 7/10 for yes and 21/20 for no.

A 1-0 win for City at full time could bring 14/1 odds if correct.

Reason: The bookmakers have City as favorites here as they are the home side in this match.  They have lost just once at home this season, but they have drawn an awful lot just like their rivals on Thursday night have done.  So this match is very open, and you are getting very good odds on United should you choose to go that route.

Team News

Pep Guardiola will be unable to call upon center midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and right back Bacary Sagna due to injuries.  Midfielder David Silva left the match early on Sunday, so he is very unlikely to play a part here either.  Striker Sergio Aguero was also taken off early, and many are speculating that is was also due to injury.  We may not know until the lineups are announced, but it's hard to see him being left off of the team sheet.  Striker Gabriel Jesus has returned to training, but it would be a very unwise thing to throw him in at the deep end here in his first match back.  But that might be the temptation here.  Guardiola has some things to think about here as he will likely want to rotate some after playing such a tough and long match at Wembley on Sunday.

Key Man

Manchester City's season is quickly fading away from them of late, as they've only been able to beat sides that are far beneath them.  They are in real danger of missing out on the Champions League, and they need someone to step up in a big way against United.  They don't need anything fancy here, just a victory.  The man to turn to is going to be captain Vincent Kompany.  The big Belgian center back is finally back, and his presence is a very important one for City.  There are plenty of pundits who believe City would be top of the table, or closer than they currently are to it, if they had had him for the entire season.  Kompany can help City grind out a result by his positional awareness, his toughness, and his leadership.  And when needed, he can also be an aerial threat on a set piece.  Because of all of these things, City must look toward him when the going gets tough on Thursday.

Team Form

Manchester City have two losses, two wins, and a draw in their last five matches in all competitions.  They started the month was a 2-2 draw at home to Arsenal before they lost to Chelsea away 2-1.  A 3-1 home win over lowly Hull City and a 0-3 away win to Southampton had them back in some form, but they lost 2-1 on Sunday to Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals after leading a goal to nil.

Expected Line-up: 4-2-3-1

Team News

Jose Mourinho will be unable to call upon main striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic after his horrific injury last Thursday against Anderlecht.  Unfortunately for Mourinho, he also will be missing attacking midfielder Juan Mata, and center back trio Phil Jones, Christopher Smalling, and Marcos Rojo.  Young striker James Wilson is a long-term absentee.  Center midfielder and record buy Paul Pogba was taken off late against Burnley, and Mourinho has said that he may miss the derby.  What a blow that would be, but United will no doubt look to scrap out a result either way, and they may well be better off without him for this kind of match.  United have had a very long week, but they now have a derby match and you better believe that they will be up for this match.  Mourinho has an opportunity to rotate if he chooses, and he also now has Wayne Rooney back- and we all know what he can do in derby matches.

Key Man

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was rested for much of the match on Sunday against Burnley after his exploits against Anderlecht in the Europa League.  He has been the hero of that competition for United this season, but he has also worked his way into being quite the player for them in the league.  This looks like the kind of match that he will thrive in.  City are going to want to possess the ball for long stretches of time, and Mourinho will instruct his side to simply let them have the ball.  This will no doubt set up counterattacking opportunities for Mkhitaryan and company, and the Armenian has shown himself to be lethal in those sorts of situations.  Without Zlatan in the side, United look a little weak up front.  But it actually might free them up to be even more ruthless and speedy.  Look for Mkhitaryan to be one of the men that benefits from this brave new world of circumstances.

Team Form

Manchester United have four wins and a draw in their last five matches in all competitions.  A 0-3 win over Sunderland was followed up with a 1-1 draw at Anderlecht in the Europa League.  But United used a 2-0 win over Chelsea and a 2-1 extra time win over Anderlecht to their advantage as they went to pesky Burnley and won 0-2 on Sunday.

Expected Line-up: 4-3-3

United come into this match just one point behind City, and both sides have played the same number of matches. United are now in control of their destiny in the battle for the top four. If they were to win all of their remaining matches, they would finish third as of right now. That means a whole lot considering that United had fallen far behind City after their first meeting way back in August. So United are the side with the winds at their back and they will want to continue this impressive form further as they travel to City. The experts and bookmakers are going to have City as favorites here, but it\'s a very dangerous thing to do in this one. United have had a busy week, but they came through it very well while City lost in extra time to Arsenal. That might just have them a little down at the moment, and United have showed themselves to be great in away matches. It\'s very difficult to see how City gets a win here, but far crazier things have happened in the Manchester derby before.

Manchester United are the toughest side to beat in the Barclay\'s Premier League this season. The Red Devils have only lost three times in total all season, and just two losses away means that they are one of the three strongest away sides in the league (behind City and leaders Chelsea). When United have not been able to win, they have drawn matches. This has been a little frustrating to them and their fans, but it\'s kept them within shouting distance of a Champions League place. You can never count out United, no matter the circumstances surrounding the match.