Manchester City vs Manchester United Predictions

• Both teams have scored in eight of the last ten Manchester derbies
• United have conceded in all four competitive matches this term
• City have kept only three clean sheets in their last 13 home league games

Derby dust-up could be littered with entertainment

Despite being only three games into the new Premier League season, Manchester City already find themselves six points off the title pace being set by champions Liverpool and their desperation for victory adds an extra element of spice to this derby duel with a mercurial Manchester United.

Hopes were high after City produced a flawless performance to dismiss the challenge of Wolves 4-0 in their Premier League opener, but defeats against Tottenham and Brighton have followed which emulate last season’s inconsistencies.

Spurs were able to utilise the counter-attack to great effect in a 2-0 win at the Etihad, with City’s out-of-possession work the source of their struggles, while a quadruple substitution from Brighton provided them with the energy needed to come from behind in a 2-1 victory.

It is back to the drawing board for City and, while Rodri has returned and able to start, it would be unjust to expect him to resume at the levels he had shown previously after eight months out.

Simple mistakes are undoing City’s attacking work and, given their vulnerabilities on the break, there is little incentive to be piling into them at odds-on.

Fierce rivals Manchester United also arrive with plenty to prove, having scrambled home 3-2 at home to Burnley prior to the international break to make it four points from three games.

Having also exited the EFL Cup at the hands of League Two outfit Grimsby, pressure is already mounting on Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim as he bids to get his side back into Europe and make some long-awaited progress.

United can exploit City on the counter-attack 

The positive for United is that they have a good recent record against their noisy neighbours, having gone four matches unbeaten with them, winning 2-1 at the Etihad in last season’s Premier League before April’s goalless draw at Old Trafford.

United lifted the FA Cup in 2024 at City’s expense, winning 2-1, and this is a fixture that suits them as they are able to soak up pressure and have the pace on the break to cause problems for Guardiola’s men.

Given their summer revamp, there is a sense that Guardiola is still unsure on his best starting line-up but, with Erliing Haaland on the scoring trail and renowned for starting a season strongly, they should find a way past this error-prone United defence.

The Red Devils conceded in all three games of the Premier League Summer Series, against West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton, while they remain without a clean sheet in four competitive games this season, shipping twice to Grimsby and Burnley.

Four of the last eight meetings have ended 2-1 one way or another and City may be able to get back on track by winning by that scoreline.