Man City v Man United Betting Tips: Lack of goals at the Etihad

This Manchester derby not only has local pride riding on it but also a place in the top four and that holy grail of a Champions League spot.

Manchester City suffered a shock loss in the FA Cup semi-final at the weekend as they lost 2-1 to Arsenal. This means that, barring an absolute miracle which sees them win the Premier League, Pep Guardiola will not win a trophy in his first season as Manchester City manager.

Guardiola, as we know, is a coach who is very much focused on the attacking side of the game, as proven by the fact that they have found the back of the net in each of their last eight matches in all competitions and scored 63 in 32 league matches. Defensively though, there are massive questions and it is this defence which has caused them to lose big matches and drop vital points throughout the season. Guardiola’s men have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven in all competitions whilst they also have the second-worst defensive record in the top five. Overall, 69% of City’s league matches have seen more than two goals go in.

The Citizens’ home form has actually been worse than their away form this campaign with just 30 points taken as opposed to the 34 taken away. However, recently, they have been fantastic at the Etihad Stadium with no losses in their last 11 in all competitions, winning seven of them.  Furthermore, they have found the back of the net in 93% of the home league matches this season. Having said that, on the other side of the coin, they have conceded in 80% of home league games.

Manchester United recorded a solid victory over stubborn Burnley on Sunday to extend their unbeaten run to nine in all competitions. As they are through to the semi-final of the Europa League and just one point behind Manchester City in 4th spot, United have two opportunities to make the Champions League next season.

Despite being without their talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic against Burnley at the weekend, as well as for the rest of the weekend, Jose Mourinho’s men managed to score a couple of goals which means they have now found the back of the net in each of their last six in all competitions. However, it has been the defence which has impressed most this season with just 24 conceded in 32 league games – second-best in the league – whilst they have also recorded three Premier League clean sheets in their last three matches.

Just like City, United’s away form has actually been better than their home form with 33 points in 15 games taken on their travels compared to the 30 taken at home from 17 games. Additionally, United have recorded four consecutive victories on the road in the Premier League, scoring 11 and conceding just once in the process. Furthermore, going into this match against City, the Red Devils will be boosted by the fact they have won three of their last five matches against their rivals, including earlier on this season, as well as their most recent match at the Etihad back in March 2016.

Derby’s are always tense and, with more riding on this than just local pride, I think it will be really tight with very few goals. Mourinho is the master tactician in these situations and his defence can be expected to be incredibly solid and thus City could struggle to find a way through. United have also tended not to risk too much going the other way either and so ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ looks a sound bet.

More tips can be found here.