Premier League: This Manchester Derby Has Bite

Manchester United vs Manchester City

Roll back just three months and the clash between the two Manchester giants was about as one-sided as you could imagine.

The gulf was wide, the 90 minutes were dominated by the Sky Blues and there was more unrest on the Red half of Manchester.

But now things are different.

When the two sides meet at Old Trafford at 12-30 on Saturday UK time, they are separated by just two places and four points. Manchester City are chasing down leaders Arsenal while United are strengthening their grip on a top-four place. Red Devils fans will be keen to stop their neighbors’ march to a third consecutive Premier League title and they come into the game on the back of a league win over Bournemouth and two domestic cup victories.

But Manchester City are still undoubtedly the team to beat. They too are through to the 4^th Round of the FA Cup and have a Carabao Cup tie away to Southampton on Wednesday night when Pep Guardiola will use his squad to the full

Talking Points

United’s Madrid stars are shining brightly

The Premier League 2023 betting odds have brought the Red Devils into third favorites to win the title, ahead of Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs and that is certainly a position their fans would have been delighted with in any period over the past few years. It seems head coach Erik Ten Hag is moulding a team which has become hard to beat, inspired by two proven winners.

The signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid has transformed the club, the midfielder stamping real authority at both ends of the pitch, and the resurgence of Raphael Varane at the heart of defence has banished any fears over the form of Harry Maguire. These two players won nine Champions League winners medals between them while at Real Madrid, Casemiro picking up five of those, and this is the quality of player the Red Devils have so missed over the past decade.

Since a defeat to Aston Villa in November United’sPremier League 2023 results have been perfect, with four wins from four, and they are looking to strengthen again in the January window. The Red Devils are in the market for another forward and are trying to cut a deal to bring Burnley’s Wout Weghorst to Old Trafford but, in the meantime, Marcus Rashford has hit his richest vein of form in many a year, scoring his sixth goal in six games during Manchester United’s 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Charlton on Tuesday night.

Can Pep make room for Alvarez?

Manchester City have one of the deepest squads in the Premier League and that presents challenges for the manager in keeping all his players happy. The Sky Blues were at their slick best in their 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge last week and then they were utterly ruthless when they met the Blues again days later, beating them 4-0 in the FA Cup.

World Cup winner Julian Alvarez scored in that rout and he will hope to be involved in the derby, either from the outset or from the bench, but Guardiola is unlikely to start with two up front, playing a more fluid attack with five creative midfielders. Erling Braut Haaland is down to a price of 1.07 to win the Golden Boot in his first Premier League season and with 21 goals from 16 matches he has made the fastest start of any new entrant to this league. Haaland is bound to start against the Red Devils and, with Phil Foden and Kevin de Bruyne both in fine form, he’ll get plenty of service.

At SBOTOP odds of 1.55 to retain their title, City still have work to do to take over at the top and this, as always, is a game they will be targeting to win.

History

In terms of the head-to-head meetings, Manchester United still hold the upper hand with 30 victories to 22 in all competitions in the Premier League era. But the tide has turned over the past decade and the Sky Blues have won each of the last three meetings, doing the double last season and thumping United 6-3 in the league back in October. The score rather flattered the Red Devils as Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat-tricks, while Anthony Martial bagged two late consolations for United.

But times have changed a little since then and now both teams are in brilliant form, with the Red Devils winning all of their last six outings while the Sky Blues have won five and drawn just one, a sticky 1-1 draw at home to Everton in New Years Day.

Manchester United’s home record of six wins, one draw, and one defeat is slightly better than City’s away record of five wins, two draws, and one defeat.

Betting Tip

To price Manchester United at 4.07 to win or 3.59 to draw at their famous Old Trafford Ground seems astonishing, particularly when the Red Devils are in such a good run of form. But that says more about the confidence in Guardiola’s Sky Blues to come good in the second half of the campaign, and at 1.75 they should have enough to win another derby.

The way they dismantled Chelsea in the FA Cup was quite sensational and there will be more attention on United’s defence than their frontmen when the whistle blows on Saturday.

 

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