Man Utd v Man City – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

The Red Devils have won just once in their last seven matches. City have won five of their last eight Manchester derby clashes.

Match: Man Utd v Man City
When: Saturday, 17 Jan 2026

Man Utd Form

United looked to be improving not long ago. A 4-1 win at Wolves with 4.24 xG made it seven wins in 13 league matches. They’ve since won just once in seven fixtures, with four draws and two losses. A 4-4 home draw with Bournemouth preceded a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa. A 1-0 home win over Newcastle saw coach Ruben Amorim switch to a back four.

After drawing 1-1 at home to Wolves, the coach was sacked. Two more draws followed, 1-1 at Leeds and 2-2 at Burnley as they put up 30 shots and five big chances. United’s last match saw a 2-1 home defeat in the FA Cup to a heavily rotated Brighton side.

Man Utd Team News

United are boosted by the returns of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo after their nations were knocked out of the AFCON. Noussair Mazraoui remains unavailable for this one.

Matthijs De Ligt remains out injured but Harry Maguire is available for selection. New interim coach Michael Carrick is without young winger Shea Lacey due to suspension. Ayden Heaven and Casemiro are expected to return to the XI.

Man Utd Motivation

United will be desperate to get a result, both to somehow kickstart their season and to harm City’s title chances.

Carrick’s approach is usually quite proactive, but we saw him park the bus when he last took caretaker charge of United. A defensive outlook is expected here.

Man City Form

City’s last 13 matches have seen ten wins and four draws. They won 3-0 at Crystal Palace despite being outshot 16-7. A 2-0 home win over Brentford in the Carabao Cup and a 3-0 win vs West Ham followed. They scored late to win 2-1 at Nottingham Forest before a poor 0-0 draw at Sunderland.

City conceded in the 94^th minute to draw 1-1 at home to Chelsea. They surrendered another lead in a 1-1 home draw vs Brighton before smashing Exeter City 10-1 in the FA Cup. On Tuesday, they won 2-0 at Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.              

Man City Team News

Pep Guardiola has several defensive injuries to worry about. Josko Gvardiol, John Stones and Ruben Dias are all ruled out. Max Alleyne could continue to start in central defence.

Rodri and Rayan Cherki are set to return to the starting XI. Mateo Kovacic and Oscar Bobb are injured. Omar Marmoush is unavailable due to his involvement in the AFCON third-place playoff.

Man City Motivation

City can’t afford any more dropped points. They are already six points behind Arsenal.

This is a must-win match. Guardiola may be circumspect with all his defensive injuries.

Key Stats

• Man Utd have won just 1 of their last 7 matches (2 losses, 4 draws)
• Man Utd have lost 5 of their last 8 Manchester derbies
• Man City have won 10 of their last 13 matches (37 goals scored)
• Man City’s Haaland has scored just 1 goal in his last 6 matches (39 goals in 29 matches for club & country before that)

Verdict

City have concerns in defence, but United look devoid of quality and balance. A win for City is the sensible route to take.

Featured Bet: Man City Win, both teams to score and Haaland to score anytime at 3.40

Alternate Bet: Man City win & Over 2.5 goals at 2.70

Goalscorer Tips: Semenyo score anytime at 2.95 or Haaland at 1.70