Premier League: Manchester City vs Manchester United preview

The 176th edition of the Manchester Derby will be played at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening as Premier League leaders Manchester City take on second-placed Manchester United. The Citizens have won the reverse fixture at Old Trafford 2-1 in December, David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi scored for the visitors while Marcus Rashford found the back of the net for the Red Devils. Overall, Manchester United have won 72 times against their rivals, while City have won just 51 matches.

This could be a very special match for Manchester City, because if they win it they will already be awarded the Premier League title for the season with six matches to spare. However, they are coming into this match after the shocking 3-0 Champions League defeat at Liverpool on Wednesday, and some of the players might be punished by manager Pep Guardiola for their performances at Anfield Road. Or, even more likely, Pep Guardiola will try to think ahead and rest some players because the second leg against Liverpool will be played next week. Sergio Aguero missed the first leg due to a knee injury but he should be fit for the derby.

Manchester United still have their second place to defend and there is also Jose Mourinho's ambition to get results against Pep Guardiola. The Red Devils will be determined to postpone the Premier League title celebrations for the Citizens and they also want to consolidate their runner-up spot as Liverpool are just two points behind. Last weekend Man United grabbed a 2-0 victory over relegation candidates Swansea, with Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez on the score sheet. Sergio Romero and Daley Blind are the only injury concerns for the Red Devils ahead of Saturday's derby match.

Probable line-ups:

Man City: Ederson - Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Delph - De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Gundogan - Sterling, Aguero, Sane

Man United: De Gea - Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Young - Matic - Mata, Lingard, Pogba, Sanchez - Lukaku

My prediction: Manchester City to win 3-1.

Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:

Man City win - 1.95
Draw - 3.60
Man United win - 3.79

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