UNITED DRAW NO RASH BET
Marcus ready to shine at Etihad again
MANCHESTER UNITED face a daunting task at the Etihad tomorrow – but might just upset the huge odds against them.
Erik ten Hag’s men are massive 10-1 outsiders to beat rivals Manchester City, having lost five of the last six derbies.
And with City striker Erling Haaland in ominous form after a five-goal salvo against Luton in midweek – ably assisted by Kevin De Bruyne – it’s no surprise Pep Guardiola’s side are a general 1-4 to claim the three points.
Even the draw is around 5-1 as the bookies dismiss the notion of United getting any sort of result.
But I don’t believe it will be that easy for City and I can’t see a repeat or anything like the 6-3 scoreline in this fixture last season.
Remember that prior to their midweek stroll against struggling Luton, City had laboured to one-goal wins over Bournemouth and Brentford and a 1-1 home draw with Chelsea – all sides currently in the bottom half of the table. United are struggling with injuries and surprisingly lost at home to Fulham last weekend but their form leading up to that game was good – six wins and a draw from seven games, scoring 19 goals in the process.
And their 1-0 FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest in midweek was their sixth away win on the trot in all competitions, their best run for five years. It may not quite match City’s 35-match unbeaten home run dating back to November 2022 – but it will give the Red Devils some confidence.
Given their injury problems, I’m not convinced United can escape from the Etihad with the three points under their belts but I can’t see there being more than one goal difference between the sides.
Sky Bet and Betfred will still give you handicap odds of 3-1 on United with a one-goal start, but the Old Trafford side could certainly be worth backing at 11-10 getting a two-goal start.
On the double chance market, it’s 3-1 with Sky Bet and BetVictor that United win or draw.
If you fancy a City victory then I’d take bet365’s odds of 9-1 on a 2-1 scoreline – but I’d also have a saver at 20-1 on the 2-2 draw!
If United are to take anything from this fixture, then they need Marcus Rashford to be at the top of his game.
The England forward does boast an impressive personal record at the Etihad, with four wins and a draw from eight appearances.
He may not have found the net in his last five outings but he could well be due a goal – so take Sky Bet’s generous 4-1 that he nets at any time, while the 14-1 that he grabs the last goal could pay dividends.
For City, Haaland is just 1-2 to find the net so offers no value, therefore I’d prefer to back De Bruyne to get among the scorers this time at 10-3, while he’s a big 11-1 to get the first goal.
United have rarely conceded before the interval on their travels in the league this term – coughing up only three first-half goals. Therefore it could be worth taking Sky Bet’s odds of 2-1 that it’s a draw at half-time.
To add a bit of interest, I’d take Sky Bet’s Requestabet odds of 10-1 that Rashford gets two shots on target, each team earns three or more corners and there are 40-plus booking points in the match.