The Manchester derby

Another top game awaits us on the 20th match day of the English Premier League. The two Manchester giants, and at the same time two of the best teams in the league, meet at historic Old Trafford. Fourth-placed Manchester United welcomes city rivals and second-placed Manchester City. 

The status of the top game is given not only because of the rivalry between the two teams from Manchester, but also because of the table situation before the game. Away team and reigning champions, Manchester City currently sit second in the table with 39 points from 17 games played. Premier League opponents and record champions Manchester United are two places behind in fourth place. The Reds have played 17 games so far. City are five points behind leaders Arsenal and United are nine points behind.

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Manchester United analysis

After the Ronaldo drama leading up to the World Cup and a poor start to the season, it looked like the season could be labeled a disappointment early on. Now roughly in the middle of the season, many problems could be eliminated and now there is still hope for a successful season. In the two cups, the FA Cup and the EFL Cup, they are still playing and in the next round. Since Ronaldo left United, the Red Devils have 6 victories in 6 matches, having scored 16 times and conceding just one goal (from Everton in the FA cup), while Marcus Rashford scored 7 times! 

Although they won't play the Champions League in the 2022/23 season, they are still represented in the Europa League. Here they will meet FC Barcelona in mid-February in what is probably the top game in the entire Europa League. Only winning the Premier League seems difficult to achieve.Already nine points behind leaders Arsenal, there is currently little hope of Premier League success number 21.

The Reds were able to start their good form even before the World Cup break. After being swept off the field 3-1 by Aston Villa on the penultimate matchday before the break, they won the last game before the break against Fulham FC 2-1. After the World Cup break they have 6 wins in 6 matches. In total they're now unbeaten in eight games. Saturday will show whether the series will be increased to eight wins or whether they have to start from the beginning.

Although they are in good shape in fourth place, Manchester United's offensive has not lived up to expectations. They have expensive and promising players in the offensive part of the squad, but they haven't been able to fulfill their potential yet. After the departure of Christiano Ronaldo, the position of center forward is particularly sparse. The actual left winger Marcus Rashford therefore has to take over this position more and more often and leave his original position.This is also reflected in the Reds' top scorer list. Rashford clearly tops that list with seven goals. Only then does the actual center forward Anthony Martial, who returned from his loan to Seville in the summer, follow with three goals.

Manchester City analysis

At Manchester City, the goals are set high. Actually, one has wanted to play at the top in Europe for years, but this rarely succeeds. However, at least in England, one was always at the top and was able to adorn himself with this success. However, it now looks as if this rank will have to be relinquished. They're only five points behind top-placed Arsenal, but it doesn't look like they're going to blunder anytime soon. 
But to speak of a disappointment would be too early even for the Skyblues. After all, they're still represented in both cups and they also have a good chance of progressing in the Champions League. Here they play against RB Leipzig at the end of February and thus have a lot that most consider feasible.

Similar to United, City have also shown good form in recent games. What is particularly striking is that they have more problems against the supposedly worse teams than against the top teams. In the last four Premier League games they lost against Brentford FC and drew only one against Everton FC. However, in the last few weeks they have won twice against Chelsea and once against Liverpool. It seems to have little trouble staying focused in seemingly easier games.

In discussions about which team in England has the strongest and most balanced squad, there are rarely two opinions. Starting with the goalkeeper position up to the offensive one places many players, which belong to the best in England and also in the world. With Phil Foden in midfield and Erling Haaland up front, they have two players with a market value of over €100m in the team. The latter is also the most valuable player in the entire Premier League.

The incredible quality of the squad is also reflected in the statistics such as the goal difference. So far they have only conceded 16 goals , which is the third best value in the league. In the offensive they lead the league with 45 goals scored . The main component of these offensive statistics is definitely Erling Haaland, who has already scored 27 goals in 22 appearances in all competitions and is on the way to playing a record-breaking season.

Manchester Utd - Man. City : What to expect? 

Although Manchester City was clearly the better team in terms of successes in recent years, the clashes between the two teams have always been fairly balanced. At least the balance sheet is balanced. United have won four times in the last ten meetings of the Manchester Derby. 

Rival City was able to grab the full three points five times and only once did they part with a draw. What is striking and relevant for the following recommendations and forecasts is that a pattern can be seen in the number of goals. Most of the time, when Manchester United won, the result was close, mostly under 2.5 goals. The opposite is true when Manchester City wins. Most of the Skyblues' victories have seen many goals, at least more than 2.5 per game. City won the last two games with results of 6-3 and 4-1 and thus clearly Over 2.5 goals.

Bookies see Manchester City as the clear favorites but United is in form and they play at home. For a 1X double chance bet you get a lucrative 2.09 odds. Due to City's offensive strength and the previously mentioned statistics for victories of the Skyblues, we expect more than 2 goals for the game on Saturday. 

Our recommendation, Over 2.5 goals for a 1.72 odds. Finally, we predict that both teams will score. Despite Manchester City's strong defense, we believe United will score at least one goal with the backing of their home fans. We therefore recommend the tip Both teams to score as well. You can currently get said for 1.66 .

• Over 2.5 at odds 1.72
• Both teams to score at odds of 1.66
• 1X Double Chance at odds of 2.09

* All odds and markets are correct at time of publication and subject to change.