The 22nd round Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City will take place on 17 January at Old Trafford. Manchester United vs Manchester City: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Manchester United
Manchester United have not lost in the league for four matches. At the same time there has been only one victory in that stretch, followed by three draws. In the last round the club visited Burnley and drew 2:2. That was the first Premier League match without Ruben Amorim. The home side sit seventh, but trail the Champions League places by only 3 points. Also note that the team have scored 36 goals, which is the third-best attacking record in the league.
- In the last 9 Premier League matches the club suffered only 1 defeat (3 wins and 5 draws).
- Both teams scored in 8 of the previous 9 Manchester United league matches.
- There was a draw in the second half in 8 of the last 10 home Premier League matches for Manchester United (2 defeats).
Potential Manchester United Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Senne Lammens – Aiden Heven, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot – Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro – Mateus Cunha, Patrick Dorgu, Bruno Fernandes – Benjamin Sesko.
Until the summer the acting head coach will be Michael Carrick. Defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui are out through injury.
Manchester City
Manchester City have also drawn their previous three league matches. After an away 0:0 draw with Sunderland, the club drew at home with Chelsea and Brighton (both 1:1). As a result Manchester City trail leaders Arsenal by 6 points. At the same time the visitors' unbeaten run in the Premier League has grown to 9 matches, with 6 wins and 3 draws. Also note that the team remain the top attacking side with 45 goals.
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in 6 of the club's previous 7 league matches.
- On the road Manchester City are unbeaten in four consecutive Premier League matches (3 wins and 1 draw).
- The team did not concede in the first half in 7 of their last Premier League games.
Potential Manchester City Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Gianluigi Donnarumma – Matheus Nunes, Abduqodir Khusanov, Nathan Ake, Max Allini – Bernardo Silva, Nico Gonzalez – Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Tijani Reijnders – Erling Haaland.
Defenders John Stones, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, as well as midfielders Oscar Bobb and Mateo Kovacic are unavailable due to injuries. Forward Omar Marmoush remains with his national team. Midfielder Savinho may miss the match due to injury. A day before the match the club signed Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
Referee
Anthony Taylor (England)
Matches – 17 (Premier League, 2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards Shown (including second yellows) – 65;
Average yellow/red per match – 3.8;
Red cards shown – 1;
Fouls per match on average – 20;
Penalties – 18%.
Manchester United vs Manchester City: Match Prediction
Despite the proximity to the top four and relatively decent league form, the club's management were not convinced by the current performances and dismissed Amorim. Without him the club not only drew with the basement side Burnley, but also lost in the FA Cup to Brighton (1:2). Interestingly, Manchester United were eliminated from both domestic cups at the first stage for the first time since 1981/82. There is clearly a crisis in the squad, and the carousel on the coaching bench will only harm the home side.
We expect the derby hosts will not win this encounter. In addition, they are unlikely to be prolific. In the previous five league matches Manchester United managed to score more than one goal only against Burnley. Manchester City in their last 7 Premier League matches kept a clean sheet 4 times and in the other 3 matches conceded one goal each. Also note that in the five most recent head-to-head meetings at Old Trafford in the Premier League, the visitors did not concede in 4 of them.
Prediction: Manchester United Individual Total Under 1
* For each team the starting lineup is taken from its last match in this tournament.
