The Premier League Matchday 22 clash between Manchester United and Manchester City will take place on 17 January at Old Trafford. Manchester United vs Manchester City: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Manchester United
Manchester United have gone four league matches without defeat. At the same time, they have managed just one win in that spell, followed by three draws. In the last round, the club visited Burnley and drew 2:2. It was also the first Premier League game without Ruben Amorim. Manchester United are seventh in the standings, but they are only three points adrift of the Champions League places. It is also worth noting that the side have scored 36 goals, which is the third-best attacking record in the division.
- In their last nine Premier League matches, the club have suffered only one defeat (three wins and five draws).
- Both teams to score landed in eight of Manchester United's previous nine league games.
- The second half ended level in eight of the Mancunians' last 10 home Premier League matches (two defeats).
Potential Manchester United Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Senne Lammens – Ayden Heaven, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot – Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro – Matheus Cunha, Patrick Dorgu, Bruno Fernandes – Benjamin Sesko.
Until the summer, Michael Carrick will remain in interim charge. Defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui are sidelined with injuries.
Manchester City
Manchester City have also drawn each of their last three league matches. After an away stalemate with Sunderland (0:0), the club shared the spoils at home with Chelsea and Brighton (both 1:1). As a result, Pep Guardiola's side have fallen six points behind leaders Arsenal. Meanwhile, Manchester City's unbeaten Premier League run has stretched to nine matches, with six wins and three draws. We should also note that the team remain the best attacking side in the league with 45 goals.
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in six of the club's previous seven league matches.
- Away from home, Manchester City are unbeaten in four straight Premier League matches (three wins and one draw).
- The team have not conceded in the first half in their last seven Premier League games.
Potential Manchester City Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Gianluigi Donnarumma – Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nathan Ake, Max Ellini – Bernardo Silva, Nico Gonzalez – Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Tijjani Reijnders – Erling Haaland.
Defenders John Stones, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, as well as midfielders Oscar Bobb and Mateo Kovacic, are unavailable due to injury. Forward Omar Marmoush remains with his national team. Midfielder Savinho is also a doubt with a knock. A day before the match, the club signed Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
Referee
Anthony Taylor (England)
Matches – 17 (the Premier League, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 65;
Yellow cards per match – 3.8;
Red cards shown – 1;
Fouls per match – 20;
Penalties – 18%.
Manchester United vs Manchester City: Match Prediction
Despite being close to the top four and enjoying a decent run in the league, the club's hierarchy were not convinced by the team's current numbers and decided to sack Amorim. Without him, the club not only drew with relegation outsiders Burnley, but also lost to Brighton in the FA Cup (1:2). Interestingly, Manchester United have been knocked out of both domestic cups at the first stage for the first time since the 1981/82 season. A crisis is clearly brewing, and the coaching merry-go-round will only harm the Mancunians.
We expect the derby hosts not to win this match. On top of that, they are unlikely to impress in front of goal. In Manchester United's last five league matches, they have scored more than once only against Burnley. By contrast, Manchester City have kept four clean sheets in their last seven Premier League games, and on the other three occasions they conceded just once. We should also note that in the last five head-to-head meetings at Old Trafford in the Premier League, the Citizens kept four clean sheets.
Prediction: Manchester United, under 1 goals
* For each team, the starting XI from their previous match in this tournament is listed.
