At the Theatre of Dreams, Manchester City will be welcomed by Manchester United in a highly anticipated Premier League clash at Old Trafford. Here is everything you need to know about Manchester United vs Manchester City football prediction for the Premier League match of the season.
Team news
Manchester United
Raphael Varane has been ruled out for a month with a hamstring ailment after he was hurt in the first half of Manchester United’s match against Atalanta.
United will be forced to resort to a back four if Victor Lindelof is assessed unfit to play as early as Saturday.
Luke Shaw could slot into the back three, if necessary but Solskjaer is unlikely to trust Alex Telles or Diogo Dalot in the left wing-back position.
Fred and Edinson Cavani will both start against Manchester City on Saturday.
Paul Pogba returns to his domestic suspension after starting in the Champions League.
Manchester City
Aymeric Laporte will serve a one-match suspension against Manchester United on Saturday following his red card in last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace. John Stones will fill in for him.
Raheem Sterling has struggled for form all season and is unlikely to start tonight, despite the fact that he has yet to score against Manchester United in 23 games.
One of Phil Foden or Kevin De Bruyne will play as the false nine as a result of the absence of Ferran Torres.
Both Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker started on Wednesday night, thus Oleksandar Zinchenko could be a surprise starting in this game.
Manchester United vs Manchester City Prediction
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has beaten Tottenham and drew with Atalanta since he was given three matches to save his job at Manchester United after a 5-0 loss to Liverpool. The back three performed admirably against a mediocre Tottenham team, but fell short against Atalanta. That defense looks much more shaky on Saturday with Raphael Varane ruled out.
Pep Guardiola’s side was surprisingly powerful when Manchester City defeated Club Bruges 4-1 on Wednesday night. Even though both matches are in Manchester, it will be intriguing to see how they do here given the short turnaround between matches.
Only Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp have won more games against Pep Guardiola’s sides than Solskjaer, but it’s difficult to see United coming out on top. When they face a half-decently coached team, they appear exceedingly susceptible.
Match Facts
Under 2.5 goals have been scored in each of Man United’s last six encounters versus Man City in all competitions.
In all competitions, Man United has kept a clean sheet in 5 of their last 6 matches against Man City.
Man City has won 17 out of their past 19 road games (Premier League).
In Man United’s last three games, there have been more than 2.5 goals scored (Premier League).
Lineup
Manchester United possible starting lineup: De Gea; Bailly, Lindelof, Maguire; Wan-Bissaka, McTominay, Fred, Shaw; Fernandes; Ronaldo, Cavani
Manchester City possible starting lineup: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Cancelo; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Jesus, Foden, Grealish
Our Prediction: Manchester United 1-3 Manchester City
