The first Manchester derby of the season takes place this Saturday lunchtime, with both Manchester United and Manchester City in need of a result.
United eased the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 3-0 win at Tottenham last time out, with Cristiano Ronaldo opening the scoring with a superb volley.
Ronaldo was also United’s hero in the Champions League, twice equalising in a 2-2 draw away at Atalanta.
City eased past Club Brugge to go top of their Champions League group, with Joao Cancelo providing three assists.
They were stunned in the league though, losing 2-0 at home to Crystal Palace, with Aymeric Laporte dismissed before half-time.
Premier League form: Manchester United W1 D1 L3; Manchester City W3 D1 L1
Premier League top scorers
Manchester United – Bruno Fernandes & Cristiano Ronaldo 4 goals each
Manchester City – Phil Foden 3 goals
Match history
Manchester United have a good recent record against their city rivals, winning three of the last four in the league.
The meeting last term was a drab goalless affair, a result neither would take on Saturday.
Last five Premier League meetings
Manchester City 0 Manchester United 2 – 07/03/21
Manchester United 0 Manchester City 0 – 12/12/20
Manchester United 2 Manchester City 0 – 08/03/20
Manchester City 0 Manchester United 2 – 07/12/19
Manchester United 0 Manchester City 2 – 24/04/19
Team news
Raphael Varane went off injured in the first half against Atalanta and will miss around a month.
The news could see Victor Lindelof be rushed back to ensure United can deploy a back three once again.
Laporte’s ban is likely to see John Stones return to the XI.
Kyle Walker went off injured in the win over Brugge and is a doubt here, which could see Oleksandar Zinchenko earn a first league start.
Expected starting XI’s
Manchester United (3-5-2): De Gea; Bailly, Maguire, Lindelof; Wan-Bissaka, Fred, McTominay, Fernandes, Shaw; Ronaldo, Cavani
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Cancelo, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko; De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo; Jesus, Foden, Sterling
Predictions
Result: Manchester City
City are in great form, however given the issues at United, an away win looks probable
Correct Score: 0-2
City’s last win at Old Trafford was 2-0 and something similar looks a good bet
Anytime Goalscorer: Bernardo Silva
Silva has been City’s best player this season and scored at Old Trafford back in 2019
