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City’s trip to Portugal on Tuesday played out perfectly, with a comfortable 2-0 margin of victory – in which Porto barely had a sniff – and a chance to substitute the likes of Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki and Josko Gvardiol early… keeping them fresh for Sunday.
That’s a huge advantage in many respects, as Manchester United didn’t make their Champions League bow until Thursday – giving City an extra 48 hours of preparation time.
And while Michael Carrick’s side also enjoyed a relatively simple 4-0 win against Sabah, there’s no debating his squad has been disadvantaged by the scheduling… and the last thing you need against this successful City side is to be at a disadvantage.
Man Utd v Man City Tips
Man City +0 Asian Handicap @ 4/7 (Bet365)
Match Goals Range: 2-4 @ 8/15 (Bet365)
Man City Over 1.5 Goals @ 8/11 (Bet365)
Odds courtesy of Bet365. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
Double Chance
United won this corresponding fixture 2-0 in January. But the context has changed since then, with Enzo Maresca replacing Pep Guardiola in the City dugout and his squad refreshed with new faces.
And this encounter takes place early in the campaign, rather than the mid-winter slog, which could hand City another advantage. The blue side of the city have been strong starters to seasons in previous years. Of the 16 opening league games in the last four seasons, City have won 13.
This season, they are already unbeaten in three.
The Red Devils haven’t won back-to-back games against City since 2011, such has been the Cityzens’ dominance, and while United have evidently improved under Carrick in 2026, the jury is out on whether they are at the level of their local rivals at this moment in time.
Carrick’s men have conceded two goals in all three of their Premier League outings to date, and there’s arguably no better side in English football at taking advantage of defensive vulnerability than that of Erling Haaland and co.
Tip: Man City +0 Asian Handicap @ 4/7 (Bet365)
Explanation: Our bet lands if Man City win this game. If it ends in a draw, our stake is returned. If Man Utd win, our bet is lost.
A Clash of Styles
On paper, this is a fantastic tactical battle, with the upshot that goals should flow… in theory.
City have so many different ways to hurt their opponents, be it in wide areas or through their central overloads, and of course having Haaland leading your line doesn’t hurt, either.
For United, you suspect they will adopt a similar strategy to that which guided them to victory in January’s clash. They will press high up the pitch and aggressively in a bid to disrupt City’s rhythm.
The Red Devils also have the trump card of being able to counter at pace down the flanks, with Marcus Rashford and Bryan Mbeumo both in excellent form.
It’s a tactical battle and one that, if all goes according to plan, could yield goals for both teams.
Tip: Match Goals Range: 2-4 @ 8/15 (Bet365)
Explanation: Our bet lands if there are two, three or four goals in this game.
Away We Go
Of course, given our selections, we hope that some of those goals are scored by Man City.
The Red Devils have conceded twice against Everton, Ipswich and Hull this term, and while the nature of those games was different – they were playing on the front foot against those opponents, rather than being more circumspect like they will surely be against City – it doesn’t mask their defensive issues.
United changed their central defensive partnership against Sabah – with Lenny Yoro replacing Harry Maguire, and Patrick Dorgu at left-back ahead of Luke Shaw – and Norwegian Haaland will fancy his chances if there is a lack of confidence anywhere along United's back line.
And while Kobbie Mainoo had an excellent game against the Azerbaijan side, he's going to need defensive help in midfield from Youri Tielemans, who prefers to be moving forward.
Some of City’s key attacking forces will head to Old Trafford well rested, so we have to expect that they will follow the lead of those other teams by notching 2+ against United on Sunday.
Tip: Man City Over 1.5 Goals @ 8/11 (Bet365)
Explanation: If Manchester City score two or more goals in this game, our bet lands.
Man Utd vs Man City: Match result odds
These odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.
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