Manchester City vs Manchester United Prediction & Betting Tips

Manchester United travel to the Etihad to take on their city rivals, as they look to keep pace with the teams above them. Manchester City will hope for another three points in the title race.

• Man City to win @ -340 with FanDuel
• Over 2.5 goals @ -257 with FanDuel
• Both Teams to Score @ -144 with FanDuel

These odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

• Date: 03/03/24
• Kick-off time: 15:30
• Venue: Etihad Stadium

The Premier League showcases the Manchester Derby this weekend, with both sides in desperate need of three points. City are currently in second place, a point behind leaders Liverpool and just a point ahead of Arsenal. With their title rivals all playing at an extremely high level, the margin for error is very minimal for the Champions the rest of the way.

Erik Ten Hag’s team are sixth, five points behind Aston Villa in fourth and three behind Tottenham in fifth, though Spurs have a game in hand. Whilst they began the calendar year unbeaten in seven games, they were defeated by Fulham last weekend, which has significantly harmed their hopes of a top-four finish. They will need to get some sort of result this week.

United have struggled to score goals this season, with their total of 36 the lowest in the top half. Although, since the turn of the year, they have seen an improvement, mainly due to the emergence of Rasmus Hojlund as a serious goal threat. The Dane will be sidelined through injury, however, meaning Ten Hag will have to look elsewhere for an offensive spark. This responsibility may fall on the shoulders of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, who have scored five goals apiece.

Ten Hag’s side have also kept just one clean sheet in their last nine league fixtures, so they will have a tough time keeping out their hosts, who are in the top three for goals scored, and have the league’s top scorer in Erling Haaland, who has bagged 17.

The two rivals have faced each other 10 times in all competitions since March 2020, and it is a fixture that has seen more success for Man City. They have won six times to United’s three, whilst the points were shared in a goalless draw in the other meeting. The last time the visitors got one over their neighbor was in January of last season, in which they came from behind to take victory. Jack Grealish had opened the scoring in the second half, before goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford quickly turned it around.

They also met in last season’s FA Cup final as City won the second trophy of their treble. Ilkay Gundogan netted the fastest goal in FA Cup final history to put his side in front. Fernandes levelled from the spot, but Gundogan won the game with another strike in the second half. The reverse fixture earlier this season also ended in favor of the blue side, as Phil Foden added to Erling Haaland’s brace to secure a 3-0 win at Old Trafford.

Manchester City Team News

Josko Gvardiol has an ankle injury and is not expected to be back until the beginning of March. There are no new injury concerns for Pep Guardiola.

Manchester United Team News

Erik Ten Hag has a couple of huge injury blows with both Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund expected to be absent. Shaw picked up a muscle injury and is set to miss a few months, whilst Hojlund will be out for at least a couple of weeks. Lisandro Martinez will also be out long-term with a knee injury.

Manchester City Form Guide:

In their last five games, Man City have won four and drawn one. Their one draw with Chelsea at the Etihad ended a run of 10 consecutive wins in all competitions. Ex-City winger Raheem Sterling opened the scoring before half-time, and Rodri equalized with seven minutes remaining. Both teams rued missed chances, but especially City who saw Erling Haaland uncharacteristically pass up multiple big opportunities.
They have since won two in a row, against Brentford and most recently Bournemouth. The 1-0 win against Brentford was frustrating for the majority, but Haaland got back on the scoresheet to win his side all three points at the Etihad. Their trip to Bournemouth also ended in a narrow victory with Phil Foden scoring the decisive goal in the first half.
This stretch of fixtures began with a home game against Everton, and whilst they dominated, the deadlock wasn’t broken until the 71st minute by Haaland, who added a second late on to put the game to bed. A return to European action followed as they beat Copenhagen 3-1 in the first leg of their last 16 tie. They take a commanding lead back to Manchester in their bid to retain their Champions League trophy.
Before they host Man United at the weekend, they take on Luton Town at Kenilworth Road in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Tuesday.

Manchester United Form Guide:

In their last five games, Man United have won four and lost one. Their one defeat came in their latest game against Fulham, as the visitors won their first away game since the opening weekend of the season. Calvin Bassey put Fulham ahead, but Harry Maguire thought he rescued a point in the 89th minute. With United pushing for the winner, Alex Iwobi went up the other end and scored deep into stoppage time to earn all three points.
It began with a thrilling 4-3 win over Wolves at Molineux in which Kobbie Mainoo scored a sublime 97th-minute winner. They had taken an early lead through Marcus Rashford, before Rasmus Hojlund doubled it soon after. Pablo Sarabia pulled one back from the spot, but Scott McTominay added a third four minutes later. The hosts managed to get it back to 3-3 deep into stoppage time, but Mainoo’s strike snatched back all three points.
They followed this up with a dominant 3-0 victory against West Ham at Old Trafford. Alejandro Garnacho scored a brace, adding to Hojlund’s opener. A tricky trip to Villa Park was next, but they passed the test with another late goal. Holjund and McTominay bagged either side of a Douglas Luiz equaliser. Luton also put up a strong fight, though they went 2-0 down after seven minutes. Carlton Morris scored on 14 minutes to get his side back in the game. Whilst they pushed for the leveler, United’s defense held firm and went home with maximum points.
Before they take on Man City at the weekend, United will travel to Nottingham Forest in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday.

There will be goals in this one as City look to keep pace at the top. United have regained form in 2024 despite their defeat last week but at home Pep Guardiola’s side will be too strong for them. We predict: Man City 3-1 Man United

Man City vs Man United will be available to watch on the Peacock Network (An NBC live-streaming Platform)