The Manchester Derby takes centre stage in the Premier League this weekend as Manchester United host Manchester City at Old Trafford in Saturday’s early kick-off.
The two rivals are separated by just three points in the Premier League table, with fifth-place Man Utd trailing third-place Man City.
A win for the Red Devils would take them level with Pep Guardiola’s team. On the flip side, a win for City would open up a six-point gap between the two clubs.
Manchester United head into Saturday’s showdown on the back of a 2-2 draw with Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League.
Once again, Cristiano Ronaldo rescued his team – netting an injury-time equaliser to keep United at the top of Group F.
Ronaldo has now registered nine goals in 12 appearances since returning to Old Trafford, including five goals in four Champions League outings.
In the Premier League, however, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have struggled for consistency this term – recording five wins, two draws and three losses.
They have only managed to win one of their previous five league matches, registering one draw and three defeats in the process.
It is also worth pointing out that United have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 13 home games across all competitions.
Man City, meanwhile, secured a dominant 4-1 victory over Club Brugge in midweek – seeing 71% of the ball while racking up 22 shots.
Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus all got on the scoresheet as the Cityzens recorded their third Champions League win of the campaign.
But let’s not forget that City suffered a shock 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace last weekend, despite enjoying 68% possession on home soil.
Having lost just 11 of their previous 75 games in all competitions, Guardiola’s men will surely be eager to get back on track in the Premier League this weekend.
Head-to-head: The recent head-to-head record between these two sides is relatively even. Both teams have won four of the last nine meetings, with one draw coming along the way.
It is worth noting that nine of the past 11 encounters have produced over 1.5 goals, meaning Saturday’s clash is likely to be a high-scoring affair.
Team news: Man Utd’s Paul Pogba is suspended for Saturday’s showdown, while Raphael Varane will be out for around a month with a hamstring injury.
Manchester City will be without the suspended Aymeric Laporte this weekend, with Ferran Torres also absent through injury.
The Manchester Derby invariably dishes up surprises. That said, Man City should have more than enough firepower to claim all three points.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Man City will score over 2.5 goals on their way to beating an unpredictable Man Utd outfit.