Prediction: Manchester City vs Manchester United

Both sides probably thought they would have few more points on the board ahead of the Manchester derby, meaning we should see a very interesting encounter between two attack-minded sides. And while the Citizens are desperate to end a three-match winless run, the Red Devils will be buoyed by the good comeback against Chelsea.

Manchester City have largely dominated their arch rivals over the last few years, winning five of last six meetings with Manchester United, but they don’t have too much reason for optimism at the moment. The Citizens suffered several unexpected slip-ups of late, squandering a two-goal lead against CSKA Moscow before suffering back to back defeats to West Ham and Newcastle, and it appears the real Yaya Toure is being sorely missed this season. It looks as though his brother’s death and club’s handling of the issue has had a very negative effect on the Ivorian’s performances, with the player who scored amazing 20 league goals from midfield last term now struggling to make any sort of impact. Meanwhile, fit-again Sergio Aguero has rediscovered his scoring touch and can be backed at 10/11 to score his tenth goal in ten matches, but there is only so much he can do on his own. And with David Silva missing through injury, the hosts could face a difficult task against revived Manchester United, even if they still have more than enough attacking potential in their ranks to exploit the opposition defensive frailties.

Manchester United have slipped to eighth in the overall standings after sharing spoils with West Bromwich and Chelsea, but there have been some positives they can take into this match. Even with Radamel Falcao missing, the Red Devils showed plenty of promise in the high-profile clash against the Blues, and they did well to score last-gasp equalizer through Robin van Persie. Meanwhile, Angel di Maria had an off night, but after playing at a very high level up until that moment, one bad day was always going to happen. The good news is that Louis van Gaal will now have Wayne Rooney back to the side from suspension and if he also decides to play Michael Carrick from the start, the visitors should have an excellent cover for the back four for the first time in quite a while. With Ander Herrera also in contention, the Dutch coach finally have some options in midfield and attack, although Jonny Evans and Paddy McNair are still missing at the back. Manchester United clearly haven’t done too well in previous meetings with Manchester City, but they seem to have a very good chance of ending the barren run on Sunday.

Conclusion

Manchester City are clearly far from the desired form and with David Silva injured and Yaya Toure in a very poor shape, the hosts might struggle to end a run of three matches without a win. Manchester United, on the other hand, will have some key players back and I can see them getting at least one point from the Emirates.

Verdict: Man Utd not to lose

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: bet365