One of the biggest rivalries in Europe is renewed on Sunday when Manchester United and Manchester City meet at Etihad Stadium for the latest edition of the Manchester Derby. Even though United is technically above City in the table, it’s Red Devils manager Ruben Amorim who’s currently in real danger after United crashed out of the Carabao Cup by losing to fourth-tier Grimsby Town. United’s performance in the league has hardly been inspiring, either. That being said, Pep Guardiola has work to do too, as City is 1-2 and in 13th place. United certainly looks like an appetizing snack for a team with City’s aspirations.
Kickoff at the Etihad is set for 11:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. Man City are the -130 favorites (wager $130 to win $100) on the 90-minute money line in the latest Manchester City vs. Manchester United odds, while United are +320 underdogs. A draw is priced at +300, and the over/under for total goals scored is 3.5. Before locking in any Manchester City vs. Manchester United picks, you need to see what SportsLine’s Martin Green has to say. You can tail his picks at DraftKings Sportsbook, where you can get over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket plus get $200 in bonus bets instantly when you bet $5 using the latest DraftKings promo code:
After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper and has covered the game worldwide. Last year, Green was profitable in multiple areas on his soccer betting picks, including Euro qualifying (+6.30 units), EFL Cup (+4.47), FA Cup (+3.07) and Champions League (+3.05), among others. Anyone who follows him could be way up.
Here are Green’s best bets and analysis for Manchester City vs. Manchester United on Sunday:
Manchester City vs. Manchester United picks
- Man City to win (-130, 1u)
- Both teams to score + Over 2.5 goals (-120, 0.5u)
- Erling Haaland to score (+100, 0.5u)
Man City will try to snap a two-game losing streak when they host local rivals Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.
Pep Guardiola’s men began the new Premier League season with an impressive 4-0 home win against Wolves. Their summer signings slotted in seamlessly alongside established stars like Erling Haaland, and they were hailed as major title contenders. However, they followed it up with back-to-back defeats against Spurs and Brighton, leaving them marooned in 13th place. Man City are already six points behind Liverpool, and they cannot afford another defeat.
The players should be fired up for this local derby, and it promises to be an entertaining game between two embattled teams.
Pressure Mounts on Amorim
Man Utd have also endured a difficult start to the new season. They began with a tight 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, followed by an insipid 1-1 draw with Fulham. The Red Devils were then dumped out of the EFL Cup, losing to fourth-tier team Grimsby Town on penalties. That embarrassing defeat left manager Ruben Amorim under intense pressure. Amorim admitted that “sometimes I want to quit” and revealed that sometimes he “hates” his players during an emotional press conference.
He earned a mild reprieve when Man Utd beat Burnley 3-2 in their last game. They were on course for another draw, but they won a last-gasp penalty, which Bruno Fernandes converted. That victory lifted United up to ninth in the table. However, they face Man City and Chelsea in their next two games, so Amorim’s reprieve could be brief.
We’ve already had one Premier League managerial casualty this season, as Nottingham Forest fired Nuno Espiríto Santo earlier this week. The sportsbooks now make Amorim the favorite to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job. He oversaw a $300 million spending spree this summer, bringing in Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Seško, Senne Lammens and Diego Leon. Yet the new signings haven’t really clicked yet, and Amorim is running out of time to turn things around.
Haaland on a hot streak
Man City will be missing several key players this weekend. Forward Omar Marmoush suffered a knee ligament injury while playing for Egypt earlier this week. He joins summer signing Ryan Cherki and Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovačić on the treatment table. Phil Foden, John Stones, Abdukodir Khusanov, Savinho and Joško Gvardiol have all been nursing injuries, too, and it remains to be seen if they will recover in time for this game.
Yet City will still have a wealth of attacking talent in their ranks. Haaland has made a superb start to the season, scoring three goals in three games. He then scored the winner in Norway’s 1-0 victory over Finland last week, before smashing in five goals in an 11-1 win against Moldova earlier this week. That took his tally to nine goals in five games for club and country this season.
Haaland can cause all sorts of problems for a United defense that has been leaking goals of late. Jeremy Doku, Oscar Bobb, Bernardo Silva and Tijani Reijnders will form a strong supporting cast, with Ballon d’Or winner Rodri anchoring the midfield. New signing Gianluigi Donnarumma is also expected to start in goal, which should give the defense a boost. It could prove to be a tight game, as both of these teams are low on confidence, but City have home advantage, and their superior quality should ultimately shine through.
