Man City will beat Man Utd if they score first at Etihad

Somewhere in the region of £92 each second is predicted to be bet during the Manchester derby and the sensible money will certainly be going on Manchester City if they score the opening goal.

Manchester City are 5/4 move level on points with their neighbours with a victory and their chances of success will obviously improve dramatically if they strike first.

The home form of Manchester City is well documented with Sunderland’s draw the only points dropped by Roberto Mancini’s men at the Etihad.

But what maybe is not so well known is that Manchester City have the best home defensive record in the league, conceding only ten goals in their 17 fixtures, a run which includes ten clean sheets.

This reduces the chances of Manchester United mounting a comeback, while they have also failed to win a single league game this season in which they have conceded the opening goal.

It is 8/11 that Manchester City score the first goal and punters expecting this to happen may also want to consider backing the hosts to triumph, even giving up a one-goal handicap.

Manchester City have scored more than one goal in all of their home games against the top half barring the 1-0 success over Arsenal and are especially prolific at killing off teams late in games as they push on in search of a result.

Therefore, 3/1 looks reasonable value that Manchester City win by at least two goals, while 5/4 may also be worthy of consideration that Manchester City score more goals in the second period than before the break, which they did emphatically at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

Alex Donohue of Ladbrokes said: “There’s no doubt this is one of the most exciting betting matches in history. The build up has whipped fans into a betting frenzy with records set to be smashed.”

“As the in-play revolution continues we’re expecting to take more bets via mobile than ever before. An early goal either way will be like a red rag to a bull for those who like to bet live.”