Overview
Manchester City and Manchester United entered the derby at the Etihad Stadium with the aim of winning, but for different reasons.
Man City started the campaign with a 4-0 win over Wolves but then dropped in the league after defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton. Therefore, they must seek victory to stay close to the top.
Meanwhile, Man United just won their first win of the season against Burnley thanks to a penalty in the 97th minute by Bruno Fernandes. Coach Ruben Amorim is still looking for his first two consecutive Premier League wins since taking over in November 2024.
After a busy transfer window, including signing Gianluigi Donnarumma on the last day, Man City are expected to return to the title race. However, they are currently 6 points behind leaders Liverpool.
This is the first time since the 2004-2005 season that The Citizens have lost two of their opening three league games. Only one team has ever fallen into a similar situation and still been able to win the championship - Man United in the 1992-1993 season.
3 points after the first 3 matches is Pep Guardiola's lowest achievement since leading the team. Since 1995-96 - when Man City were last relegated - they have not lost three of their first four games of the season.
Guardiola has lost 49 of his 345 Premier League games (W247, D49), of which 22% have come since the start of November 2024 (11). A defeat to Man United would see him reach the 50-game mark - the second highest in the competition's history, behind only Sir Alex Ferguson.
However, Man United's poor form will now face a big challenge if they want to take advantage of Man City's disadvantage. Amorim beat Guardiola twice last season when he was in charge of Sporting CP and Man United, but his overall Premier League record is modest. The Portuguese captain has won just eight of his 30 games so far (D7 L15).
Notably, half of Amorim's victories have come against newly promoted sides, including Burnley, ahead of the international break. His winning rate against opponents outside this group is only 16% (4/25).
One of Amorim's top priorities is improving his attacking power, but the loss of Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount to injury makes this task difficult.
However, the "Red Devils" still showed initiative. They have had 58 shots in the first 3 rounds - 14 more than any other team. At the same time, M.U also has the highest total expected goals (xG) in the tournament (6.78). However, they have only scored 4 goals, including 2 home goals.
Bruno Fernandes is expected to be the deciding factor if Man United want to win 2 consecutive victories in the Premier League. He is the player who creates the most chances in the league, both overall (6) and from live ball situations (8). The Portuguese midfielder has also scored in all three of his most recent wins against Man City.
Head-to-head record
Man City have won five of their last eight Premier League games against Man United (D1 L2), but could not win all of last season (D1 L1).
In the 2024-2025 derby, Man United created a dramatic comeback to win 2-1, with Amad Diallo contributing to both goals.
Since 2015-16, the home side have won just six of their 20 Premier League Manchester derbies (4 draws, 10 losses). Notably, Man United have caused 25% of Guardiola's home defeats in the Premier League since he led Man City, with 4 wins at the Etihad (4/16).
Score prediction: Man City 2-2 Man United
The match between Man City and Man United takes place at 22:30 on September 14 (Vietnam time).
