Manchester City FC vs Manchester United FC, Premier League 2022-2023, Today Match Prediction

Manchester City FC vs Manchester United FC Match Prediction & Analysis

Manchester City have continued their dominance over most teams in the league this season, with new signing Erling Haaland looking like he can break any record he sets his mind to.

They remain a point and a place behind league leaders Arsenal, although in many people’s eyes City will eventually get to the top of the league and stay there until the end.

Naturally, they have a superior record against their opponents these days, not only in winning trophies but also in head-to-head meetings. 

They’ll be confident in continuing this run here, especially at home, and with many of their top players in fine form.

United are in great form themselves, winning their last four league games and five of their last six including European competition.

Marcus Rashford and Erik ten Hag have just won Player and Manager of the Month for September, and they’ll be full of confidence here.

Should be a cracker.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Manchester City FC Preview

Reasons to be cheerful:

     Haaland keeps scoring in virtually every game he plays

     Have won their last three games against United

Reasons to be fearful:

     A number of defenders have suffered injuries recently

     United have sprung a surprise or two on City before

Despite United’s upturn in form, most people still predict that City will win here, especially when playing at home. 

Regardless, they probably won’t be the easy walkovers that City enjoyed last season, where they beat their close rivals 2-0 and 4-1 in two of the most one-sided games between two big teams in recent years.

They will need to be prepared for United playing on the counterattack, although Guardiola has come up against this before and managed the situation well.

City have a strong record against United in recent seasons and will see no reason why that can’t continue here. 

Star Man – Erling Haaland

The goal machine from Norway has netted a hattrick in each of his last two home games for City. He will likely be up against Lisandro Martinez here, and that battle could be key to the outcome of this game.

Manchester United FC Preview

Reasons to be cheerful

     Four wins in a row is the best current form of any team in the league

     Erik ten Hag’s vision has been quickly adopted by the players

Reasons to be fearful

     Poor record against City in recent years

     Marcus Rashford may be a doubt for this game

Erik ten Hag will approach this game with a clear mindset, which we’ve seen in recent United games.

He knows that his side are much better playing on the counterattack, and he will set his team up accordingly. The only problem is that Rashford, his quickest striker, may not be fit enough to play.

In that case, Cristiano Ronaldo would lead the line who, at the age of 37, no longer has the legs to sprint past younger defenders for 90 minutes.

Furthermore, who will the manager select in midfield? McTominay and Eriksen have been superb in recent weeks, but they have a five-time Champions League winner in Casemiro waiting to start his first game.

It would be a risk to start both Fernandes and Eriksen in a game where United are unlikely to have much of the ball. Therefore, Casemiro could be in line for a starting place.

Whoever plays will find it difficult to contain the magic and intensity of City, especially with their best players in such good form.

Star Man – Scott McTominay

It’s not often that a defensive midfielder is United’s most important player, but against City its McTominay. He has been in great form recently, and will need to be at his best to break up City’s attacks.