Premier League football returns to our screens following the international break, and it’s back with a bang. The majority of round four is played on Saturday, with two games scheduled for Sunday. We’re going for quality over quantity in this week’s football preview and predictions, concentrating on the match from the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City host Manchester United from 16:30 GMT in what’s expected to be the most entertaining face-off in years. Neither the Cityzens nor the Red Devils have impressed so far this term, with the locals starting the weekend down in 13th following a win and two defeats. The visitors are four places higher in the EPL ladder, with an even spread of one win, a draw and a single defeat.
There’s plenty to play for here, but which side of the divide will secure three points and earn their supporters the bragging rights? Gamblr offers an extensive list of pre-game betting markets, including match-winner, both teams to score, total goals, first scorer, handicap, and more. Browse the options, study the stats, read our preview, and place your Man City vs Man Utd bets on the Gamblr app or site.
Match info
Fixture: Manchester City vs Manchester United.
Venue: Etihad Stadium.
Kick off: 16:30 BST.
Competition: English Premier League matchday four.
Coverage: Live on Sky Sports.
Head-to-head scores
Manchester City wins = 61
Draws = 55
Manchester United wins = 79
Manchester derby global coverage
Here’s how you can watch Sunday’s Manchester derby in your region.
UK: Sky Sports
USA: Peacock
Canada: fubo TV Canada
Australia: Stan Sport
Brazil: Disney+
Betting odds
Man City win @ 1.66
Draw @ 4.2
Man Utd win @ 4.5
Both teams to score @ 1.62
Over 2.5 goals @ 1.57
Man Utd to score first @ 2.6
Over 10.5 corners @ 2.0
Man City -1 handicap @ 2.57
Man City suffer a stuttering start
All eyes were on the Etihad Stadium this summer to see how the team would respond to losing its title amidst growing off-field problems. The club is accused of disregarding Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, with over 100 alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018. The club surrendered the Premier League title to Liverpool and the Champions League gong to PSG last term, and fans would love to see their favourites win them back. But things haven’t started too well for Pep Guardiola and his stars.
Man City prepare for Sunday’s match following a stuttering start to the 2025/26 EPL season. They opened with an eye-catching 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux early last month. That added confidence to the stands, but things quickly unravelled. City suffered a 2-0 defeat at this venue on matchday two when playing Tottenham Hotspur, and slipped to a 2-1 reverse at Brighton before the international break. The pressure is mounting on Man City to stop the rot as soon as possible, with a home win in the derby an ideal way to bounce back.
Will Man City get the desired result? The stats suggest they have a strong chance. In addition to holding the home advantage, City have won five of their previous eight derby matches, including a memorable 3-1 win here back in March 2024. Do you expect the points to remain at the Etihad? You can back Man City to beat Man Utd at odds of 1.66 with Gamblr. That quote shows traders have the home win as a strong favourite, but I don’t expect that bet to attract too much attention this weekend.
Man Utd finding their feet
Unlike their opponents, Manchester United lost their first match of the season. The Red Devils brought the curtain up at the Theatre of Dreams when losing 1-0 to Arsenal. It was a tough opener, but United pushed the Gunners hard to the finish line, eventually beaten by a single goal from Calafiori, who scored after just 13 minutes. Fans feared the worst, but better times were ahead for their heroes.
Man Utd got off the mark at the second time of asking, when scoring a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage in London against Fulham. An own goal from Rodrigo Muniz just shy of the hour mark gave United the lead, but they were pegged back by the Cottagers, who levelled things up with a strike from Smith Rowe on 73 minutes. Man Utd completed the set when beating Burnley 3-2 at Old Trafford before the break. It was an exciting contest that swung back and forth, eventually won by United thanks to an OG from Cullen and strikes for Mbeumo and a Bruno Fernandes penalty in added-on time.
Are Man Utd improving after bouncing back from an opening day defeat against a strong opponent to take four points from the next six available? Perhaps you’d argue they’ve been rather fortunate to get the four points after benefiting from two own goals and a stoppage-time penalty. It remains to be seen if either United or City will challenge for the title this time, but there’s no doubt Sunday will give us a better idea of what to expect.
Man City vs Man Utd prediction
We’ll follow the recent stats attached to this fixture and back both teams to score. That approach would’ve landed you a return in four of the previous five derbies, including a 2-1 win for the visiting side here late last year.
Followers of the trends on the hunt for a higher price may like to know Man Utd haven’t lost any of the last four derbies, a run stretching back to March 2024. Both score and Man Utd win may appeal.
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