ONE of the standout fixtures on the Premier League calendar takes place on Sunday, as Manchester City meet Manchester United at the Etihad.
After stumbling to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea a fortnight ago, Man City have got their title defence back on track with a pair of hard-fought 1-0 wins against both Brentford and Bournemouth respectively.
Pep Guardiola's side have since booked an FA Cup quarter-final berth in spectacular style, as Erling Haaland scored five in a 6-2 mauling of Luton in midweek.
The City faithful will be hoping their side can replicate that type of performance when arch-rivals Man United come calling this weekend.
Just when the Red Devils appeared to have finally turned a corner, they were dealt a reality check as their four-game winning run came grinding to a halt in a 2-1 loss at home to Fulham last Saturday.
That being said, Erik ten Hag’s team did bounce back at the first time of asking by battling to a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Wednesday night.
Outright Betting
Manchester City have triumphed in five of the last six meetings between the pair and they are odds-on 2/7 (Bet 365) favourites to repeat the trick on Sunday.
Manchester United are as big as 10/1 (BetVictor) to emerge from the Etihad with a victory for the first time since 2021 while a share of the spoils is an unfancied 11/2 (William Hill).
Betting Angles
Rather than trying to engineer a way to get red-hot favourites Man City onside, I’m instead going to opt for player-based Bet Builder and bundle up Erling Haaland to Score and Casemiro to commit a foul at 4/5 on Bet 365.
As already mentioned, Man City goal-machine Haaland hit no fewer than five goals during City’s 6-2 drubbing of Luton in midweek so he should be brimming with confidence ahead of Sunday’s all-Manchester showdown.
What’s more, the Citizens sharpshooter has struck in two of his three top-flight starts at the Etihad since returning from injury, not to mention the Norwegian has notched five goals across his three previous Premier League appearances against Manchester United.
With that in mind, coupled with the fact that the Red Devils have recorded just one clean sheet across their last nine Premier League matches, I’m happy to back Haaland to strike on Sunday.
To bolster the odds up to 4/5 on Bet 365, I’ll also back Casemiro to clock up at least one foul during this dust-up.
The United midfield destroyer is averaging 1.5 fouls per-game in the Premier League this season, tackling his way into trouble at least once in nine of his 13 top-flight outings this term to date.
Given that sparks tend to fly in this fixture, I’m also prepared to take it one step further and back Casemiro to commit two or more fouls during this derby at 4/5 on Bet 365.
The tough-tackling Brazilian has racked up exactly three fouls in four of his last eight Premier League appearances so siding with 2+ here makes plenty of appeal at 4/5 (Bet 365).
This English Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United will be played on Mar 3, 2024 and kick off at 15:30. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Manchester United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
