- 1 Manchester United vs Manchester City : nine points to four, this derby is hardly even
- 2 Manchester United keep throwing games away late
- 3 Manchester City keep rolling without a wobble
- 4 Premier League prediction Manchester United vs Manchester City
- 5 First, a word on our free picks
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information can change
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Manchester United vs Manchester City : nine points to four, this derby is hardly even 
Manchester City have won all three of their opening Premier League matches. Manchester United have managed just one win over the same stretch.
Old Trafford hosts this derby on Sunday, September 13 at 16:30 UK time. The game closes out Sunday’s schedule.
The Citizens top the table with nine points, seven goals scored and two conceded. No other side in the division can match that clean start after three games.
United sit 11th with four points. Seven goals scored, six shipped: Michael Carrick’s side can look excellent one minute and alarming the next.
Just look at the results. A 2-0 defeat at Hull City to start the season, a 5-2 romp against Ipswich Town the following week, then a last-gasp 2-2 draw at Everton.
That final game sums up where United are right now. Leading 2-1 in the 88th minute through Benjamin Sesko before Ainsley Maitland-Niles levelled in the 96th on the final play of the match.
Both clubs also opened their Champions League campaigns this week, City at Porto on September 8 and United against Sabah on September 10. So the derby lands at the end of a busy spell for both camps.
City have not slipped up since the restart, while United are still searching for any kind of clear identity. Old Trafford has already seen the Ipswich demolition and a season that has stuttered everywhere else. The home crowd will want a strong response.
Manchester United keep throwing games away late 
Four points from nine, 11th place: the numbers are underwhelming for a club that spent heavily in the summer. Carrick even stood up publicly and defended that transfer window in early September.
The issue is not up front. Seven goals in three league games, including five against Ipswich Town alone, puts United near the top of the scoring charts.
The weakness is at the back. Six goals conceded in three matches, plus those two points thrown away at Goodison in stoppage time against Everton.
The opening-day defeat at Hull City remains the most obvious blot on the copybook. Beaten 2-0 by a promoted side, the Red Devils made a dreadful start to the campaign.
Bryan Mbeumo had briefly sparked the comeback at Everton with an equaliser in the 46th minute. Benjamin Sesko then put United ahead in the 88th, only for the hosts to snatch it back in added time.
In midfield, Kobbie Mainoo is growing into the role. Harry Maguire publicly praised his off-the-ball work after the 5-2 win over Ipswich, pinning that improvement on Carrick’s coaching.
The schedule is not helping. United hosted Sabah in the Champions League on Thursday, September 10, just three days before welcoming their neighbours.
That 5-2 win over Ipswich Town remains their best performance since August — five goals, a haul only a handful of league sides have managed in a single match this season. The problem is that result sits next to a defeat at a promoted club and five points dropped in three games.
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Manchester City keep rolling without a wobble 
Nine points from nine, two goals conceded in three matches: City sit alone at the top of the Premier League. Enzo Maresca has made the strongest start of any manager in the division.
Three wins, three different scenarios. A 2-1 win over Bournemouth, a 4-1 statement at Crystal Palace, then a controlled 1-0 against promoted Coventry.
Erling Haaland scored the decisive goal against Coventry in the 26th minute with a header. One shot, one goal, three points — the Norwegian did not need to do much more than that.
Rodri’s departure forced Maresca to rethink the leadership structure. The coach named four captains before the Coventry game: Ruben Dias, Haaland, Marc Guehi and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The defensive numbers are even more impressive than the attacking output. Two goals conceded in three games is the best record in the league, tied with Arsenal.
The 4-1 win at Selhurst Park showed the scale of City’s ceiling. They have already torn a team apart away from home, which matters ahead of a trip to Old Trafford.
City opened their Champions League campaign at the Dragao on Tuesday, September 8 — five days of recovery before the derby, a far more comfortable turnaround than United’s three.
The Selhurst Park display was the clearest statement of intent. Crystal Palace conceded four and never got near City’s pace.
The 2-1 win over Bournemouth showed they can also win ugly when the moment demands it. That ability to find different ways to take three points still separates City from most of the league.
Probable Manchester United lineup: Not available at time of publication.
Probable Manchester City lineup: Not available at time of publication.
Premier League prediction Manchester United vs Manchester City
Our prediction: Manchester City to win
City arrive with the best record in the division and a defence that has given up only two goals in three matches. United have conceded six in the same span and have already lost away to a promoted side.
Everton’s 96th-minute equaliser is not just a footnote: it tells the story of a team that still cannot shut games down. Against Haaland and an attack that put four past Crystal Palace, that kind of fragility tends to get punished.
The goal difference sums it up: plus five for City, plus one for United. Add in three extra days of recovery and the edge stays firmly with the visitors.
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