Manchester City and Manchester United meet in a highly-anticipated Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 14th September at 4:30pm. Man City went into the international break off the back of two defeats, while Man Utd got their first win of the season. This game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Premier League. Find our match preview and best bets below.
Under 3.5 Goals & Under 5.5 Cards (9/10 with bet365)
Matches after the first international break can often be a little dull, with players being jaded from travelling around the globe. Of the last 40 top-flight fixtures immediately after the first international break of the season, 20 have been 0-0 at half-time.
Seven of the last eight meetings between Manchester City and Manchester United have featured four or fewer goals, with the most recent of those being a dreary 0-0 back in April. Anthony Taylor is the referee on Sunday, and he has dished out four or fewer cards in six of his last ten. Furthermore, only two of the last ten have featured five or more cards.
Erling Haaland to score a header (13/2 with Betway)
Erling Haaland has now bagged 88 goals for Manchester City, with 15 of them coming from headers.
This season we have seen a switch in style for City with a much more direct approach. For defenders, it’s no longer just about worrying over his pace in behind or his knack for pouncing on loose balls. The real danger now is Haaland as an aerial weapon—and City finally look structured to exploit that fully.
The numbers highlight the shift: in the past six seasons, City averaged 7.32 open-play crosses in the first half of matches. Last season, that dipped slightly to 6.26. But against Wolves on the first day weekend of the season, the approach changed dramatically—they delivered 12 first-half crosses, nine of them inside the opening 20 minutes.
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How both teams go into Man City vs Man Utd
Man City looked to have started the season well, with a 0-4 away thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers. But that has been their only league win of the season. The Citizens followed that up with back-to-back defeats. The first came at home to Tottenham Hotspur, a 0-2 defeat. Man City then gave up a lead to fall 2-1 to Brighton and Hove Albion before the international break. It leaves them 13th in the table and in desperate need of a win.
Man Utd endured a tough start to the campaign, going winless in their opening three matches across all competitions. The Red Devils started with a 0-1 home defeat to Arsenal, before drawing against Fulham. Then came that defeat against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup. But Man Utd finally got their first win, fighting hard for a 3-2 home victory over Burnley to lift them to ninth. They’ll now need to put a poor away record behind them, winless in their past six league games on the road.
Man City team news
Man City will be hoping to have the likes of Phil Foden, Savinho, Josko Gvardiol and Abdukodir Khusanov back after the international break. But Mateo Kovacic and Rayan Cherki will miss out through injury.
Man Utd team news
Man Utd will await assessments on Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount after injuries suffered before the international break. Diogo Dalot also pulled out of international duty due to a slight injury problem, and will also be assessed. Lisandro Martinez remains a longer-term absentee.
Man City vs Man Utd head-to-head
Man Utd took four points from their two league games against Man City last season, including a 1-2 away win at the Etihad.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 06/04/25 | Man Utd 0-0 Man City | Premier League |
| 15/12/24 | Man City 1-2 Man Utd | Premier League |
| 10/08/24 | Man Utd 1-1 Man City | Community Shield |
| 25/05/24 | Man City 1-2 Man Utd | FA Cup |
| 03/03/24 | Man City 3-1 Man Utd | Premier League |