Manchester United V Manchester City Live – Who Will Win Clash Of Premier League Titans?

Manchester United V Manchester City

Sunday 25th October. 2PM. Sky Sports 1

It isn’t hard to pinpoint the highlight of this weekend’s football action. Old Trafford. Manchester derby. Game on!

Both Manchester giants will be in good spirits heading into Sunday’s showstopper, and fans will be eager to see another explosive affair from these two fierce rivals. If it’s anything like recent contests between the two, we could be in for an absolute classic.

But who will take the points?

Red Devils To Retain Unbeaten Home Record?

Louis van Gaal’s Red Devils haven’t sparkled during the early weeks of 2015/16, but they are playing well and have been particularly reliable at Old Trafford. In fact, they enter the derby having dropped just two points from a possible 12 at home while they’ve also performed well in Champions League matches here.

Meanwhile, the hosts will take confidence from their dominance at Goodison Park last weekend, although a midweek draw in Moscow wasn’t exactly inspired. Still, it showed a new found sense of resilience. Their defence is growing in confidence and the absence of Sergio Aguero and David Silva for the visitors could give the Red Devils renewed hope of beating their local rivals.

A 4-2 in last year’s corresponding fixture is another source of optimism for the hosts. Meanwhile, the incredible start of Anthony Martial will give the Stretford End every reason to expect something special. The only real issue is the inconsistent form of skipper Wayne Rooney.

But if the captain can find the form that has seen him become the hero in these encounters on several occasion over the years, it could be a memorable day for the Old Trafford outfit.

League Leaders Looking To Cement Place As Title Favourites

It took Manuel Pellegrini’s men a few weeks to get up and running in style, but the Citizens look to be on top form right now. Meanwhile, the almost inconceivable form of champions Chelsea has led many to believe that the blue half of Manchester will win this year’s title race at a canter.

The main concern for the title-favourites is the fitness of Aguero. Their talisman will be a huge miss here, but if new boys Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne can continue from where they left off in last week’s demolition of Bournemouth then there will be no problems.

City still have a solid foundation at the back, which could play a key role in this contest too. Meanwhile, confidence will be high after their late midweek heroics against Sevilla in Europe. If they can start Sunday’s showdown in the manner that they ended Wednesday’s, then they could be set to extend their lead even further.

However, with a two-point gap over their arch rivals, even a point will suffice at Old Trafford. On the other hand, looking back at recent meetings, we don’t think either team will be settling for the draw. It should be an explosive affair to mark this 170th Manchester derby. Prepare yourselves for a classic.

Manchester United V Manchester City Betting

There’s not too much to separate these two sides on paper, which is reflected perfectly by the odds from Bet365. The bookmaker make United the slight favourites at 8/5 whilst City are priced 9/5. The draw can be backed at 5/2.

The visitors might be missing their influential talisman but, then again, Rooney is hardly doing it for the home side right now. With this in mind, there’s a good chance City can overcome the loss of Aguero.

It’s difficult to know exactly how much Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Moscow will take out of the home side. However, it will almost certainly impact them to some extent. With City flying high after their late winner against Sevilla, we’ve got to give the visitors an edge.

[quote_center]Manchester City DNB @ 20/19 with 888sport[/quote_center]

From a betting perspective, the best thing about this match is that Bet365 are offering their infamous In-Play promotion. Place a pre-game bet, and you’ll be entitled to a free matched one up to the value of £50.

With Aguero out, this is a fantastic opportunity for Sterling or De Bruyne to really make a mark at their new club. After his midweek heroics, we’re backing the Belgian to be the hero.

[quote_center]Kevin De Bruyne anytime goalscorer @ 12/5 with Bet365[/quote_center]