Manchester United vs Derby Predictions

As far as League Cup plot lines go, this is a big one. Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will reside in the Old Trafford dugout, look across the technical area and see the fresh-faced Frank Lampard staring back at him. The two spent years working together at Chelsea as Lampard played a huge role in taking them to Premier League and Champions League glory, but now the apprentice will be looking to overthrow his master.

It could hardly be a better time for Derby to try and pull off an upset either. Manchester United may not be at quite the same level of disarray as they were in August, but things are far from peachy at Old Trafford.

Their three match winning streak in all competitions came to an end on Saturday as they failed to beat Wolves at home, and prior to their trio of victories they lost against both Brighton and Spurs. The Red Devils have won just four of their seven competitive games this season, and that drops to one in three when on home soil.

Meanwhile, Derby have enjoyed a very promising start to life under the inexperienced Frank Lampard. Their hosting of the in form Brentford on Saturday was their most recent success, where they recovered from a shock 1st minute opener from Brentford to score three first half goals. The second half didn’t hold quite the same level of excitement, but that will work just fine for a Derby side who claimed all three points.

The visitors have now won five of their last seven games in all competitions, and since Lampard took charge they have won seven, drawn one, and lost three. Even away from home they manage to maintain that level of performance, winning four and losing two of their six trips away in competitive football.

As usual, we find the big Premier League teams are hugely overvalued by the bookies, and this leaves some value out there on the other side of the table. There may be a huge skill gap between the sides, but the chances are that we’ll see Jose Mourinho make some heavy squad changes, as he takes an early approach to combating fixture congestion.

That would suggest a much more evenly matched team, and considering Manchester United have won just one of their three home games and have failed to win three times already this season, we like the look of Derby to get something. The Rams have won four of their six away games this season, so we’re backing a Derby Win or Draw Double Chance along with a 1-1 correct score predictions.