Prediction: Manchester United vs Manchester City

11th February 2011

With just five points separating the Manchester rivals in the Premiership standings, this promises to be a very exciting game indeed. United need the victory in order to keep their advantage over Arsenal, while City can make a real statement by winning this game, so there is no doubt both sides will be looking for three points.

After largely struggling in the first part of the season, Manchester United have hit the ground running in the best possible time, having played really well over the last two months, although their unbeaten run came to an abrupt end as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side lost to relegation strugglers Wolves last weekend. This allowed Arsenal and City to close the gap behind them, so United cannot afford any more slip ups if they want to remain at the top. Sir Alex Ferguson has reason for optimism as Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes are slowly returning to form, and with Berbatov and Nani keeping the rich vein of form, the Red Devils have reason to feel confident before the clash with City. Chris Smalling is set to deputize for injured Rio Ferdinand, while Javier Hernandez is unlikely to feature after arriving from international duty on Friday. Jonny Evans, Owen Hargreaves and Antonio Valencia remain sidelined.

Manchester City returned to winning ways last weekend as they beat West Brom at home, thus making amends for several under-par performances over the last few weeks. The Citizens kept their advantage over Chelsea and Tottenham, while closing the gap behind United and Arsenal, as Roberto Mancini’s side had quite a few results go their way last weekend. However, the game against Premier League leaders at their own ground will be a real test for City as they haven’t been too impressive on the travels lately. The Citizens failed to win any of their last five away games, slipping up even against sides like Leicester and Notts County, meaning they will have to show a massive improvement in order to get something from this match. Mario Balotelli and Nigel De Jong are major doubts as they struggle with knee and ankle injury respectively, while Andy Johnson and Micah Richards remain sidelined.

Conclusion

Despite the heavy spending over the last two years, City have yet to show they can match a side like Manchester United away from home, which is why my money is on United. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side are more balanced and boast better team spirit, so they should be able to earn the bragging rights by beating City at Old Trafford.

Verdict: Home win Manchester United (1)

Best Odds: 5/6

Bookmaker: Paddy Power