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

Man City face Man Utd in the FA Cup final on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s side are aiming to be the first English side to do the league and FA Cup double in successive seasons. City beat the Red Devils in last year’s final but have lost five of the last seven FA Cup ties between the teams.

Man City Form

City made it four successive league titles last weekend as they finished the season on a run of 18 wins and three draws in 21 EPL fixtures. Nine wins in a row saw them finish above Arsenal as the disappointment of a Champions League exit was put behind them.

City beat Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley to reach this showpiece. After winning 4-0 at Brighton and 2-0 at Nottingham Forest, they thrashed Wolves 5-1 and Fulham 4-0. A key victory saw a 2-0 win at Tottenham despite their opponents missing four clear chances. Last Sunday, a 3-1 home win vs West Ham secured the title.

Man City Team News

Ederson has fractured his eye socket so Stefan Ortega will play in goal. He may have started anyway as the regular FA Cup goalkeeper. Kevin De Bruyne shook off an Achilles injury to play vs West Ham and will start again.

Three regulars from last season in Nathan Ake, John Stones, and Jack Grealish may find themselves on the bench. Jeremy Doku is competing with Mateo Kovacic for one spot but the former is more likely to get the nod.

Man City Motivation

City are desperate to make more history with a win in this match. They will look to control the speed of Man Utd on the counter attack with lots of possession.

Any kind of win would do the trick and expect City to sit on a 1-0 lead. With late-season fatigue, it’s just about getting the job done.

Man Utd Form

United had a tough end to the season and Erik Ten Hag is fighting for his job. A streak of one win in eight league matches saws some poor displays. They surrendered a 3-0 lead vs Coventry at Wembley in the semi-final to draw 3-3 before winning on penalties.

A 4-2 home win over Sheffield United preceded a 1-1 home draw vs Burnley having led 1-0. The low point of the season followed in a 4-0 thrashing at Crystal Palace before a toothless 1-0 home loss to Arsenal. United only had two shots on target in that loss. A 3-2 home win vs Newcastle and a 2-0 win at Brighton on the final day was not enough to avoid their lowest-ever EPL finish.

Man Utd Team News

Harry Maguire has lost his race against time to be fit for this match. Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw are also ruled out in defence. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are both available and could form the centre back pairing.

Casemiro may return to midfield for this match and all of Victor Lindelof, Mason Mount, and Anthony Martial have been training and could make the bench. Ten Hag must decide whether to start Marcus Rashford and if Rasmus Hojlund starts or Bruno Fernandes is used as a false nine again.

Man Utd Motivation

The starting XI will tell us a lot about Man Utd’s approach. If it’s a false nine, then a purely counter attacking approach will be seen.

If Hojlund starts, then a more positive strategy is expected. United will cede possession, sit deep and won’t be bothered if they need to go to extra time here.

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 7 matches

City’s Phil Foden has scored 9 goals in his last 9 matches (Haaland 6 goals in 5 matches vs Man Utd)

Man Utd have lost 6 of their last 7 matches vs Man City (all competitions)

Man Utd have won just 3 of their last 10 league matches

Manchester United have scored 2+ goals in 7 of their last 10 matches

Verdict

It’s very hard to see past a Man City win in 90 minutes. Foden is a good tip to score but Haaland also has a great record in this derby. United may have enough to score in this match with a strong bench.

Best Bet: Man City win and both to score (90 mins) at 2.60

Alternate Bet: Man City win and Foden to score anytime (90 mins) at 2.56

High Value Bet: Haaland to score 2 or more goals (90 mins) at 3.95

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis