Man City vs Man Utd preview | Confirmed team news | Expected line-up’s | Prediction

Manchester City take on rivals Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening in a game of huge importance for both teams. 

City desperately need to put a run of wins together if they’re to stand a chance of closing the gap on run-away leaders Liverpool with the Merseysiders currently 11 points ahead of the defending champions.

Pep Guardiola’s side thrashed Burnley 4-1 on Tuesday night but Liverpool responded with a 5-2 win over Everton the following day to restore their huge lead so Man City cannot afford any slip-ups tomorrow.

However, Man Utd are also in need of points as they look to try and close the gap on the top four. Wednesday night’s morale-boosting win over Tottenham saw United climb to sixth but they’re still eight points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea so Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs a positive result this weekend to boost their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.

Team news

Man City will be without Sergio Aguero as the striker is still nursing a thigh injury but Ilkay Gundogan returns to the squad after serving a one-match ban in midweek.

Oleksandr Zinchenko is also expected to return to the fold after recovering from a knee injury but Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane remain on the sidelines with serious knee injuries.

Man Utd have been handed a boost after confirming Anthony Martial has made a swift recovery from a muscle injury that kept him out of the Spurs game – although Solskjaer has suggested he may only be fit enough for a place on the bench.

Paul Pogba is still unavailable as he’s only just returned to training following a lengthy spell out with an ankle injury while Eric Bailly, Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Diogo Dalot are also lacking match fitness.

Expected line-ups

Predicted score

Man City 3-1 Man Utd: United have a solid recent record at Man City as they’ve lost just one of the last four league games at the Etihad – although it was last seasons 3-1 defeat. City have also won 24 of their last 27 league games on home soil and Man Utd have won just one of their last 11 away games so the stats heavily favour a home win here.

Man City simply have to win if they’re to stand a chance of catching Liverpool and while Wednesday’s win over Tottenham will have given United a boost, I still think we’ll see Guardiola’s side ease to a 3-1 win tomorrow.