Man City vs Man United Prediction, Picks & Best Bets

On Sunday, it’s a big one for City and United fans. That’s right, it’s the first Manchester derby of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

Neither side has thrived in recent times, which only adds to the intensity at Etihad Stadium, where both the long-serving Pep Guardiola and the EPL newbie Ruben Amorim will be looking for their teams to improve. Read on for our Man City vs Man United predictions and picks.

Man City vs Man United prediction

For the Man City vs Man United game prediction, we believe the final score will be a 2-0 win for Man City based on our analysis.

We all know that the Citizens have had their problems, but they remain very strong offensively, while they’re up against a United defense that is very weak, so don’t be surprised if they overpower their rivals, who may struggle to make offensive headway.

Sporting Post’s Man City vs Man United predictions and picks:

• Both Teams to Score - NO @ +165 with BetMGM Sportsbook

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Man City vs Man United betting odds

The table below shows the probabilities implied by the match result odds ahead of this match, as well as our adjusted probabilities and the differences.

Man City vs Man United head-to-head statistics

This will be the first time that the pair have met this season. Last term, they shared three matches, playing twice in the league and once in the FA Cup. Both home and away in the league, Manchester City came out on top, though in the FA Cup final, it was United that thrived, winning by two goals to one.

Man City vs Man United preview

This game will take place on 14/12/2024 at Etihad Stadium. Kick off will be at 11:30 EST.

After what was clearly their worst ever run under Pep Guardiola, the Citizens bounced back last week, beating Nottingham Forest in convincing fashion on home soil, a win that ought to have propelled them onto bigger and better things.

Unfortunately, Guardiola’s men failed to take a step in the right direction at the weekend, tying 2-2 away against Crystal Palace. Not for the first time in recent weeks, the champions need to bounce back.

Fortunately for the hosts, the visitors looked very easy to breach last weekend, so this will absolutely be seen as an opportunity to get the job done.

It’s very early days for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, but the early signs are that the Portuguese manager isn’t going to be able to fix things quickly.

There was a gulf in class between themselves and Arsenal just over a week ago, while despite scoring twice, the Red Devils struggled to keep tabs on Nottingham Forest at the weekend, which does not bode well ahead of a match against an opponent that they’ve not beaten away since 2021.

Man City vs Man United picks

Just one bet appeals ahead of Sunday’s all-Manchester affair at Etihad Stadium.

Both Teams to Score - NO

This is absolutely one of the biggest games of the Premier League season, and from the biggest games, we often expect the most excitement, but I’m not so sure that this will be a game for those looking to witness a glut of goals.

Of course, I could very easily be wrong, but given the way things have gone, Guardiola will likely be looking for his team to tighten up, and he’ll likely be happy for them to win in low-key fashion if it means that they stop giving away cheap goals on the break.

What’s more, in big games, this Man United team has often looked toothless. As they lost by two goals to nil against Arsenal recently, they struggled massively to create, which could be the case at the Etihad, especially as they’re expected to be starved of possession for much of the contest.

Interestingly, both teams have scored in just two of United’s last five Premier League games, while the Citizens have both scored and conceded in only two of their last five in the league. With this in mind, odds of +165 look a little generous.

Recap - Man City vs Man United best bets

To recap, our Man City vs Man United best bets are as follows:

Both Teams to Score - NO @ +165 with BetMGM Sportsbook

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