Manchester United v Manchester City: Champions favourites for derby honours

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Old Trafford

Man Utd v Man City betting tips and odds

The first Manchester derby of the season tops the bill this weekend when supporters will honour the memory of club legend Sir Bobby Charlton.

Premier League champions City go into Sunday’s game at Old Trafford as 4/6 favourites to beat their neighbours, who are 4/1 underdogs to repeat last season’s victory in this fixture.

We have looked at some of the markets and odds to help with our Man Utd v Man City betting tips, and you can click on the links for our Premier League, Football League and both teams to score tips, plus a piece on eight players who turned out for both clubs.

Shaun Wright-Phillips also spoke to Ladbrokes about his thoughts on City, the derby, Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez.

Champions back on track

City’s title defence has suffered a couple of setbacks in recent weeks and they head to the Theatre of Dreams looking to avoid a third successive away defeat in the top flight.

Pep Guardiola’s men signed off for the second international break with a 1-0 defeat at last season’s runners-up Arsenal, having surprisingly lost 2-1 at Wolves eight days earlier.

Since the loss at the Emirates, City enjoyed a tough 2-1 win against Brighton and earlier this week maintained their perfect start to the Champions League campaign with a 3-1 victory at Swiss side Young Boys.

Erik ten Hag’s side have won their last three matches in all competitions, but typically all three victories over Brentford, Sheffield United and Copenhagen were a struggle.

The Red Devils needed two Scott McTominay stoppage-time goals to see off the Bees, were woeful in the first half at Bramall Lane and it took a penalty save from Andre Onana with the last kick of the game to earn a 1-0 Champions League victory against the Danes.

United fought back from a goal down to beat City 2-1 in January, but that has been the only high point in meetings between the teams in the last two seasons, with Guardiola masterminding four victories, including a 6-3 success at the Etihad where Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat-tricks.

Their last meeting came in the FA Cup final in June when Ilkay Gundogan scored a double in his penultimate game for the club in a 2-1 victory.

Red Devils can breach City defence

United have struggled to create chances this season and although they are eighth in the table, they are 12th in attack using the expected goals metric.

However, there have been goals at both ends in the last four meetings between these clubs, so City to win and concede at 11/5 kicks off our Man Utd v Man City betting tips.

City have conceded in 10 of their last 11 matches in all competitions and have not kept a clean sheet on the road in the Premier League this season.

Haaland scored a Premier League record 36 goals last season, but had failed to find the net in three successive games in all competitions prior to last weekend’s victory against the Seagulls which he followed with a double in Switzerland.

The Norwegian is 8/11 to get on the scoresheet, but we prefer the merits of Julian Alvarez at 2/1.

The World Cup winner came on for the last 20 minutes during the week, so should be nice and fresh for the derby as he looks to add to his seven goals in all competitions this season, including the opener against Brighton last week.

We also like the look of City to go in front inside 15 minutes at 21/5 as one of our Man Utd v Man City betting tips bearing in mind that has been the case in four of the last five meetings.

Gundogan scored the quickest goal in FA Cup final history after just 12 seconds and Foden took just eight minutes to break the deadlock in that famous win at the Etihad.

In the previous season, Kevin De Bruyne bagged the opener in the fifth minute of a 4-1 victory four months after Eric Bailly’s unfortunate own goal had set City on the way to a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.

Yellow fever on cards for United duo

For those who like to dabble on our BetBuilder option, Alvarez to score and both McTominay and Bruno Fernandes to be booked is available at 17/1.

Alvarez’s goalscoring this record has already been covered, but the United duo could be in for a busy afternoon.

Both players were cautioned during the week and although that was McTominay’s first booking of the season, the Scotland midfielder committed two fouls at Sheffield United in his previous game.

Feisty Fernandes has been shown a yellow card three times in the Premier League this season and was booked at the Etihad 12 months ago.

Match Info

Where: Old Trafford

When: 15:30, Sunday 29th October

How to watch: Sky Sports

Shaun Wright-Phillips on Manchester City

View the latest football odds

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication

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