Man City v Man United Tips: Will City beat the new 'noisy neighbours'?

Erik ten Hag will get his first taste of the Manchester derby on Sunday, as his side travel to the Etihad. Can the Red Devils finally start closing the gap? Robin Bairner has the lowdown.

Who are the noisy neighbours now?

It has been a relative rarity in recent years that Manchester City and United both approach a derby match in good form, yet that is just the scenario ahead of this weekend’s meeting between the clubs.

City were infamously branded the ‘noisy neighbours’ by then-Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson in 2009, yet there is no doubt that over the course of the last 13 years it has been the blue half of Manchester that has typically had the ascendancy.

This is reflected in their price of 1.39 to win on Sunday, but it is a situation that new United boss Erik ten Hag is desperate to change. The signs have been positive so far, but just how far his club have come in a short period of time will become all the more apparent after this trip to the Etihad.

City the team to beat

Manchester City may not be at their customary position at the top of the Premier League, but there are few who would argue with them being the best team in the division right now. They remain undefeated in the nine matches they have played this season, while at the Etihad they have been unstoppable. 

Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest have all visited the venue on Premier League duty and all have lost heavily. City have scored 14 goals in these matches, at an average of 4.7 a game.

However, Pep Guardiola’s side once struggled to handle the derby - from the start of the 2019-20 season, they experienced a four-game drought against their rivals. Last term, though, they asserted their dominance with a 2-0 success at Old Trafford and a 4-1 win at home. A repeat of those victories would be a real statement of intent in the title race.

On the road to recovery

Who would have thought Manchester United would be in this position after suffering defeats against Brighton and Brentford in their first two matches of the season? That chastening 4-0 loss in London was a low point in what has been a miserable decade for the Red Devils, and yet it has been used as a catalyst for change by Ten Hag.

Senior players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire were dropped after the loss to the Bees, allowing the manager to truly put his stamp on this team. And he’s had a real impact, reeling off four successive Premier League wins, including victories over Liverpool and Arsenal. 

There is a sense that Manchester United are finally getting back into contention after a long barren period. If they were to win on Sunday and close the gap to City to two points - with a game in hand - it would be difficult to argue otherwise.

United to make it tough

There are a couple of positive omens for United ahead of this trip. City have not won three times consecutively against them since 2014, while the away team has won in this fixture more than any other in the Premier League. However, the sheer power of the hosts is likely to prove too much for a Red Devils side still in transition.

Expect Ten Hag’s team to make life difficult for their hosts, though. History shows these games have been surprisingly tight in the past, with just one of the last seven producing three or more goals. A price of 2.8 for this trend to continue is attractive, while backing under 3.5 goals at 1.72 is a more conservative alternative. Perhaps the best value, though, is on Man City to win and under 3.5 goals to be scored at 2.54.

Recommended bet

Man City to win and under 3.5 goals @ 2.54