“Manchester Derby” to Decide the Fate of City and United

The Manchester Derby between City and United could determine the trajectory of their seasons in the Premier League when the two sides meet on Sunday in the final match of Match week 4.

The Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City, will host the clash, with the home side looking to bounce back in front of their fans after a very poor start to the season. The “Sky Blues” have suffered two defeats and claimed just one win — the exact same record as their rivals, who also have just one victory. This means both managers, Spaniard Pep Guardiola and Portuguese Rúben Amorim, are under huge pressure to deliver nothing less than a win if they want to remain in contention for the title.

City will have to navigate this high-stakes clash without their Egyptian striker Omar Marmoush, who injured his knee while on international duty with Egypt against Burkina Faso in the CAF World Cup qualifiers. Last season’s runners-up will also miss Frenchman Rayan Cherki and Croatian Mateo Kovačić for the same reason, while there are doubts over the fitness of centre-backs John Stones and Uzbekistan international Abdulkadir Khusanov, as well as Algerian left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri.

However, Guardiola will undoubtedly rely on his prolific Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, who netted five goals for his country in their 11-1 thrashing of Moldova in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers, as City look to secure a vital win and regain momentum ahead of their high-profile Champions League opener against Napoli on Thursday.

Here are the key stats to help you predict the right result and win big with Betway:

• Manchester City have won five of their last eight Premier League matches against Manchester United (D1 L2) but failed to win either league fixture last season (D1 L1) for the first time since 2020-21.
• Manchester United have been responsible for 25% of Pep Guardiola’s home defeats in the Premier League as City manager, winning four of their 16 visits to the Etihad. United will be aiming to win consecutive away league games at City’s ground for the first time since March 2021.
• Since the 2015-16 season, the home team has won just six of the 20 Manchester derbies in the league (D4 L10).
• City have lost two of their first three league games for the first time since 2004-05 (W1), with their tally of three points the fewest Guardiola has ever earned from his first three league matches of a season. The last time City lost three of their first four league matches was 1995-96 – a season that ended in relegation.
• United claimed just their eighth league win in 30 games under Rúben Amorim (D7 L15) with their 3-2 victory over newly promoted Burnley, with half of those wins coming against newly promoted sides.
• United have taken 58 shots in the league this season – 14 more than any other side – their highest total in the first three games of a Premier League season since 2017-18 (60 shots).
• United captain Bruno Fernandes has created more chances than any other player in the league so far (12) and has scored in each of United’s last three league wins over City.

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