Will Carrick get the Red Devils back on track?
After Manchester United suffered another setback under Darren Fletcher and the Red Devils were knocked out of the FA Cup at home to Brighton, Michael Carrick takes over as manager of the English record champions for the second time since 2021. The 44-year-old, who led the team to three unbeaten competitive games (two wins, one draw) in November and December 2021, will be in charge of the struggling traditional club on an interim basis until the end of the season. However, his first competitive game will be a Manchester derby. Basically, the trend at Manchester United against Manchester City is to bet on the Sky Blues, who recorded a 2-0 win at Newcastle United in the EFL Cup on Tuesday evening and previously shot down Exeter 10-1 in the FA Cup.
However, things have not been going too well for the Citizens in the Premier League recently. Just like United, the Sky Blues have only managed draws in their last three league games, which is why they are now six points behind leaders Arsenal FC. So if Michael Carrick pushes the right buttons, the record champions could well get something out of the game. In any case, we expect the Red Devils to respond and anticipate a hard-fought match. The combined tip of over 2.5 goals with both teams scoring offers great value.
It is interesting to note that the Red Devils failed to score in the first leg against City (0-3) and have also failed to score in four of their last five Premier League home games against their city rivals. However, the last season in which United failed to score against the Sky Blues in both legs was 1973/74. Against this backdrop, it would also be conceivable to combine the tip on goals on both sides with a bet on double chance X2.
Manchester United – Manchester City Head-to-head record
Head to head: 80 – 54 – 63
The Manchester derby has been played 197 times to date, with Manchester United still leading the head-to-head record with 80 wins. Recently, however, Manchester City has clearly had the upper hand.
Not only did the Sky Blues win the first leg 3-0, but they have also recorded nine away wins at Old Trafford in the Premier League – more than any other club in history.
Manchester United – Manchester City Tip
Basically, our prediction for Manchester United vs. Manchester City is that the visitors, who have mostly performed well at Old Trafford, will win the point. However, the coaching situation could well shake things up for the Red Devils. In 2021, United remained unbeaten in three competitive games under Michael Carrick (two wins, one draw), even though their opponents at the time were Arsenal, Chelsea, and Villarreal. It is therefore certainly not out of the question that the 44-year-old will manage to field a team that will fight tooth and nail in this derby, which is why we would tend to steer clear of the three-way system. Meanwhile, there is also a real danger of a draw, especially as both teams have drawn three times in a row in the Premier League.
We expect the home side to throw everything into this match, so it could be a high-scoring affair at the Theatre of Dreams with goals at both ends. We recommend a combined bet on both teams scoring and a total of over 2.5 goals. For this, bet365 is offering odds of 1.69 for Manchester United vs. Manchester City, which we are betting on with five out of ten units.
