Manchester City vs Manchester Utd prediction, best bets & predicted line ups: Haaland hunting Red Devils

After losing their last two matches, Manchester City will see Sunday’s Manchester derby as the perfect time to get back on track and show just what they are capable of (kick-off 4.30pm, Sky Sports).

City won their opening game of the new campaign, beating Wolves 4-0 at Molineux, but since then they have been beaten 2-0 at home by Spurs and 2-1 away at Brighton, leaving them below Manchester United.

Despite their start, City remain third favourites on betting sites for the title at 15/2 behind Arsenal and favourites Liverpool. You can get Premier League odds of 50/1 on United winning their 21st league title.

The red half of the city has one more point on the board after a 1-0 opening defeat to Arsenal, a draw away at Fulham and then a last-gasp 3-2 win over Burnley.

United’s low point so far, though, has to be the League Cup defeat to League 2 side Grimsby Town, coming from 2-0 down in normal time only to lose 12-11 on penalties.

The big talking point ahead of this game will be who will be in goal after the deadline day action for both clubs.

City completed the signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris St-Germain, just weeks after re-signing James Trafford from Burnley for £27m.

Their former number one Ederson then left the club to join Fenerbahce for just over £12m to end a hugely successful eight-year spell at the club.

With the impending departure of Ederson, it was Trafford who started the campaign as the number one, but a number of errors, including the second goal against Spurs, have lead to questions over whether he’s ready to be City’s first-choice.

After capturing one of the most highly rated keepers in the world, Pep Guardiola is likely to make a change between the sticks on Sunday.

United signed Senne Lammens for £18.1m from Royal Antwerp in a bid to end their wobbles in goal. Altay Bayindir has started the season but has been less than impressive, while Andre Onana’s performance against Grimsby was a key factor in the Mariners’ success.

Onana has joined Turkish side Trabzonspor on a season-long loan and effectively ended his error-strewn spell at Old Trafford.

Now, we’ll have to wait and see whether Lammens gets thrown straight into a Manchester derby, but Ruben Amorim will be hoping the team is in safer hands.

City have won five of their last eight league matches against United, although they failed to win either game last season for the first time since 2020-21.

The first meeting last season at the Etihad saw two goals in the last two minutes from Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo cancel out the first half opener by Josko Gvardiol to give United a 2-1 win.

The return match at Old Trafford ended goalless in the first league draw between the two sides in five years.

United have actually inflicted a quarter of Guardiola’s total home league defeats as City manager, with the Red Devils winning four times there against the Spaniard.

There is certainly a more attacking approach from United this season, helped by the acquisition of Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha, and they have had 58 shots in the Premier League this season, 14 more than any other side, in just three games - so we are expecting them to cause problems for City.

City are the favourites for the win with football betting sites, but following the international break, we’re backing United to make life difficult for Guardiola’s side.

Man City vs Man Utd prediction: Draw & BTTS - 4/1 BetVictor

Erling Haaland already has nine goals for the season in just five games, for club and country, scoring in all bar one game so far.

The striker scored twice against Wolves and once against Brighton before scoring in back-to-back wins for Norway. He scored the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win over Finland and then hit five in the 11-1 win over Moldova on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old has only made 149 appearances for City but has already scored 127 goals, and we’re backing him to add to that tally on Sunday.

He has scored six goals in eight appearances against United, including a hat-trick in the 6-3 win back in 2022 when Phil Foden also scored three.

He’s 18/5 to score first on some betting apps and 20/25 to score at any time.

Man City vs Man Utd prediction: Haaland to score two or more - 19/4 Ladbrokes

The Premier League is back after the international break and there are some big games on the fixture list, including the first Manchester derby of the season.

Parimatch is running a special offer for the clash, boosting the odds of a City win to 30/1. Alternatively, you can get 50/1 on United coming out on top.

This new customer offer requires bettors to open an account with Parimatch and then opt in to the welcome offer that’s relevant to the team they want to back.

Wager a maximum of £1 on either City or United to win at the normal match odds and if they are victorious, you’ll be paid out in cash on the £1 bet, with the enhanced odds paid in free bets.

If you’re having a bet, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

Betting can be addictive, and it’s important to stay in control of your gambling, whether you’re using online bookies, casino sites, slot sites, bingo sites or any other gambling platform.

Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help you stay in control.

Try not to get carried away by free bet offers or casino bonuses, which are widely available on gambling apps.

But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

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