Manchester City - Manchester United predictions and free betting tips [03/03/2024]

On Sunday, 3rd February, as part of the 27th round of the Premier League, Manchester City will be hosting Manchester United at home. Both teams moved into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last week: the "Cityzens" thrashed Luton Town with a scoreline of 6:2, while the "Red Devils" claimed victory over Nottingham Forest (0:1).   

Predicted Line-ups

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Ake; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Doku, Haaland, Foden.       
Manchester United: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Lindelöf, Amrabat; Casemiro, Meïté; Antony, Fernandes, Carnasciali; Rashford.  

Manchester City 

Arguably the best team in the world currently, Manchester City continues to compete with Liverpool and Arsenal for the English Premier League title. The Cityzens sit 2nd in the Premier League table, one point behind the leaders. Unbeaten in their last 11 rounds (9 wins and 2 draws), it seems the hosts have found their form in February. Following a home slip-up against Chelsea (1:1), Pep Guardiola's charges overcame strong opposition in Brentford (1:0) and Bournemouth (0:1) last weekend. This week, the Mancunians secured themselves a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 6:2 win over Luton. With Erling Haaland becoming the first player since George Best to score five goals in an FA Cup match for a top-flight team, he was the star of the show before Mateo Kovacic completed the thrashing with an excellent sixth goal. 

In the Champions League, City had a 3:1 win in their first round of 16 match in Copenhagen and will play the return fixture next Wednesday. Croatian centre-back Guardiola will again miss this weekend's match due to injury. Winger Grealish suffered another injury this week in the FA Cup and will also be unavailable for the derby, but Guardiola has no other losses. Currently, Erling Haaland is the Premier League's top scorer with 17 goals; Phil Foden (9 goals and 7 assists), Rodri (6 goals and 3 assists), Bernardo Silva (6 goals and 4 assists) and De Bruyne (1 goal and 4 assists in recent 7 rounds) will provide the Norwegian with creative support in the attack. Both Matheus Nunes and Kovacic showcased their talents in the cup clash with Luton, but it's more likely they will start on the bench.

Manchester United

Manchester United has so far not lived up to expectations in this campaign. Currently, the Red Devils are occupying a disappointing 6th place in the Premier League table and are in a very unfavourable position to qualify for the Champions League (trailing the top four by 8 points). Erik ten Hag's men recently chalked up four consecutive wins (against Wolverhampton, West Ham, Aston Villa and Luton Town) but unexpectedly fell to Fulham at Old Trafford last weekend with a 1:2 scoreline. Last week, Manchester United advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals after beating Nottingham Forest 1:0 - a late goal from Casemiro sealed the deal. Importantly, the visitors can boast an impeccable away form in 2024: six wins in six away matches.

The Red Devils' squad is considerably weakened by injuries: Norwegian striker Rasmus Nissen will be out; key defenders Maguire, Lisandro Martínez, Luke Shaw, and Wan-Bissaka, attacking midfielders Mount, Martial and McTominay are absent. In the absence of Nissen (7 goals and 2 assists), Marcus Rashford (5 goals and 2 assists) could lead the line, supported by Bruno Fernandes (3 goals and 5 assists) and Carnasciali (5 goals and 3 assists). The promising young talent Meïté (18 years old), who has been a revelation in recent weeks, forms a solid duo in midfield with Casemiro. Raphael Varane is likely to feature at the Etihad after a minor injury recovery, while young prospect Kobi Meïté will provide further strength coming off the bench in the second half.

Head-to-head

Ten Hag's charges suffered a heavy 0:3 home defeat to the Cityzens at Old Trafford, and in the last five derbies, the Red Devils lost all five. 

Match prediction for Manchester City - Manchester United

The absence of Nissen will inevitably impact Manchester United's attack, especially since the opponent had an extra 24 hours to recover after the FA Cup battles. City is battling for the championship and simply can't afford to trip at home – a stroke of luck given the hosts' phenomenal winter form. I do not expect a shock here and am betting on a victory for the favourites with a handicap of -1.5.