Man City v Man Utd – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Man City faces Man Utd in the Community Shield on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s side were beaten 2-1 in May in the FA Cup and lifted just the Premier League title last term. City finished a full 31 points ahead of their city rivals last season in the league.

Man City Form

City had an incredible end to last season’s league title race. Their final 18 fixtures yielded 57 points with 18 wins and three draws. An impressive 5-1 win over Wolves preceded a 4-0 thrashing of Fulham. A 2-0 win at Tottenham was a key result as they survived some big chances for Spurs.

The title was concluded with a 3-1 home success of West Ham as the race went to the final day. A 2-1 defeat to Man Utd in the FA Cup final came despite having 19 shots and 74% possession. Pre-season has been a mixed bag as they lost to Celtic and AC Milan and drew with Barcelona before a 4-2 win over Chelsea where they led 4-0.

Man City Team News

It’s not clear if Rodri will play any part after going to the final of the Euros and picking up an injury in that match vs England. Ederson suffered an eye socket injury at the back end of last season and remains doubtful as he seeks a move away.

Many of the players returned late from the Euros including Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Ruben Dias, amongst others. Kalvin Phillips has been deputising at centre back whilst Jack Grealish has looked good in preseason.

Man City Motivation

City are winless in their last three Community Shields and won’t overly care about this match.

Guardiola’s selection will tell us how seriously he is taking it. If several youngsters are starting, he is clearly prioritising next week’s league opener vs Chelsea.

Man Utd Form

United won just two of their last 11 league matches last season. There were some dire losses in that streak, not last losing 4-0 at Crystal Palace before an impotent 1-0 loss to Arsenal with just two shots on target.  A 3-2 home win vs Newcastle and a 2-0 win at Brighton ended the league season on a better note.

They sprung a surprise in winning the FA Cup 2-1 vs Man City to salvage the season and save Erik Ten Hag’s job. Preseason has seen three losses in five friendlies. They were beaten 1-0 vs Rosenborg and 2-1 vs Arsenal. Their last match brought a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Man Utd Team News

Raphael Varane has departed the club and Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw are not expected to feature after summer international commitments. Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho are also expected to miss out.

Jadon Sancho is back in the picture and may start. Leny Yoro from Lille and Dutch attacker Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna have been signed and could be on the bench.

Man Utd Motivation

United are probably taking this match more seriously than City are. They will want to lay down a marker for an improved season.

Ten Hag won’t care about possession and will look to use fast transitions and counter-attacks.

Key Stats

Man City have won 18 of their last 21 league matches (3 draws)

Man City have kept 5 clean sheets in their last 8 matches

City’s Haaland has 6 goals in his last 6 matches vs Man Utd

Man Utd have lost 6 of their last 8 matches vs Man City (all competitions)

Man United have scored 2+ goals in 8 of their last 11 matches

Verdict

This match should see both sides on target. United may take the fixture a little more seriously and look a good tip to win in 90 minutes.

Best Bet: Man United win/draw (90 minutes) at 2.45

Alternate Bet: Both Teams to Score (90 minutes) at 1.55

High-Value Bet: Man Utd to win the cup at 3.10