It has been described as the most eagerly anticipated Manchester derby for many years, with the top two in the Premier League going head-to-head with both sides undefeated so far in the league.
Regardless of the opposition, it is not often you get odds against on Manchester United at Old Trafford, so we are going to take advantage by going with the home side to prevail against their city rivals at 21/20.
United have been ruthless so far, scoring 25 goals in eight games. Sir Alex Ferguson will be delighted with the way his summer purchases have settled into the side. Phil Jones looks like he has over 500 league appearances under his belt, whilst goalkeeper David De Gea is getting better with every game and was excellent in United’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield last weekend.
There is no question that this will be the Reds’ biggest challenge of the season so far, but they are likely to respond to the big-game status, as they have done so often in the past. They are unbeaten in their last 25 Premier League home fixtures, with 19 victories coming in those games.
City have almost been as impressive. They do currently sit two points above their rivals at the top of the table and have scored 27 goals in their opening eight games.
Nobody can question that Roberto Mancini’s side are genuine title challengers this season, but their league charge may depend on their progression in Europe though.
The big difference between these two sides is the unity they have inside their camps.
Ferguson is a genius at creating a family at Manchester United, where every player plays for each other – if they don’t he is quick to show them the door.
However, on the other hand, Mancini has had problems dealing with morale amongst his squad this season. Carlos Tevez apparently refused to come off the bench against Bayern Munich last month, whilst both Edin Dzeko and Adam Johnson showed dissent recently after being substituted.
Usually in these types of fixtures it takes one star player to light up the game with a special piece of play, let’s not forget it was this fixture last season where Wayne Rooney scored the goal of the season with his spectacular overhead kick to win the match.
We are going with Rooney once again to score the opening goal of the game at 4/1. He was left out against Liverpool last week and will feel he has a point to prove on his return. The 25-year-old thrives on these kind of games and often saves his best form for the big fixtures.
It is unlikely that both sides will be able to keep clean sheets, considering the attacking quality that is on show in both line-ups.
Take Manchester United to edge the game by 2-1 at odds of 7/1 to lift them back to the top of the Premier League and inflict City’s first league defeat of the season.
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