Man City vs Man Utd prediction, betting tips and odds: Troubled City may enjoy home comforts

With Paddy Power's latest welcome offer, new customers can get 100-1 on Man Utd to beat Man City in Sunday's Premier League showdown.

Enhanced winnings will be paid in free bets so click here to claim that offer with Paddy Power or read on for our Man City vs Man Utd predictions.

Paddy Power are also offering a completely free bet builder on Man City vs Man Utd for new and existing customers.

Where to watch Man City vs Man Utd

You can watch Man City vs Man Utd in the Premier League at 4.30pm on Sunday, December 15, live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event

Match prediction & best bet

Man City to win by one goal
1pt 3-1 bet365

Enhanced Offer

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

100/1 Manchester United To Beat City

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Enhanced odds paid in free bets

CLAIM OFFER

Tap for more details. 18+ T&Cs apply

• Detailed stats available for horse racing and football
• Early payout if your football team goes two goals ahead

New customer offer. Max stake £1. Winnings paid in cash at normal odds and are topped up to the enhanced price in Free Bets. Free bets are valid 7 days, only deposits with cards and Apple Pay are eligible. Excludes multiples & in-play bets. T&C's apply. Please gamble responsibly.

New Paddy Power customers can get 100-1 on Man Utd to win against Man City

Man City vs Man Utd odds

Here are the latest odds ahead of Man City vs Man Utd in the Premier League on Sunday, December 15

Odds correct at time of publishing

Want more top football betting advice? Make sure you take a look at Racing Post Sport's tips for more of the latest picks from our experts.

Man City vs Man Utd predictions

Manchester City face Manchester United in a Premier League heavyweight showdown on Sunday but there has not been much trash talk or bravado from either camp in the build-up to the derby.

The Mancunian mood music is more 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' than 'This Is The One' or 'Supersonic' as champions City aim to bounce back from an extraordinary run of seven defeats in ten games.

Asked about Rodri's influence on City, Pep Guardiola declared on Friday: "The moment he comes back, we will be strong again. We will be a good team."

That is not hugely reassuring given that the Ballon d'Or winner could be sidelined until next season, but United boss Ruben Amorim refused to be drawn on the Citizens' struggles.

"I'm more focused on our problems," Amorim told the media this week. "We have a lot of issues here."

The lack of confidence on either side of Manchester may be shared by punters assessing a tricky betting heat but home advantage could prove decisive for the faltering champions.

Six of City's seven losses have come away from the Etihad Stadium – at Tottenham in the EFL Cup, Bournemouth, Brighton and Liverpool in the Premier League and Amorim's Sporting and Juventus in the Champions League.

They have had a couple of shockers on their own patch, losing 4-0 to Tottenham and blowing a 3-0 lead in the final 20 minutes to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord.

City eased to a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in their last home game before last weekend's 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace and Wednesday's 2-0 loss at Juventus.

Guardiola's preference for working with a small squad has undoubtedly hampered him this season and City will again line up with a severely depleted defence.

The return of Mateo Kovacic is a boost given Rodri's absence and there are doubts over whether United have the fluency to take advantage of their rivals' poor form.

The Red Devils needed a couple of late goals from substitute Rasmus Hojlund in Thursday's 2-1 Europa League win at Viktoria Plzen after their soft underbelly had been exposed in a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal and a 3-2 home loss to Nottingham Forest.

Backing City to win by one goal looks a value alternative to taking the cramped odds about the hosts in the match betting. 

Four of their last five league victories, against Brentford, Fulham, Wolves and Southampton, were by a single-goal margin and United have a grim record against the top teams this season.

They have taken just two points from six matches against sides who started the weekend in the top eight, so a repeat of May's shock FA Cup final success against City looks unlikely. 

Key stat

Manchester City have lost only one of their last 55 home matches in all competitions

Man City vs Man Utd team news

Man City
Rico Lewis is suspended following his red card at Crystal Palace last weekend. Mateo Kovacic is fit again but Manuel Akanji and John Stones are expected to join Nathan Ake, Rodri and Oscar Bobb on the sidelines.

Man Utd
Jonny Evans has returned to training so left-back Luke Shaw is likely to be United's only injury absentee.

Probable teams

Man City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Simpson-Pusey, Gvardiol; De Bruyne, Kovacic; Silva, Foden, Nunes; Haaland
Subs: Savinho, McAtee, Grealish, Gundogan, Doku, Wilson-Esbrand, O'Reilly

Man Utd (3-4-2-1): Onana; Yoro, De Ligt, Martinez; Diallo, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Subs: Mazraoui, Mount, Rashford, Maguire, Zirkzee, Casemiro, Eriksen

Enhanced Offer

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

100/1 Manchester United To Beat City

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Enhanced odds paid in free bets

CLAIM OFFER

Tap for more details. 18+ T&Cs apply

• Detailed stats available for horse racing and football
• Early payout if your football team goes two goals ahead

New customer offer. Max stake £1. Winnings paid in cash at normal odds and are topped up to the enhanced price in Free Bets. Free bets are valid 7 days, only deposits with cards and Apple Pay are eligible. Excludes multiples & in-play bets. T&C's apply. Please gamble responsibly.

Bet on Man City vs Man Utd and get £50 in free bet builder bets with Paddy Power

Inside info

Man City

Star man Kevin De Bruyne
Top scorer Erling Haaland
Penalty taker Erling Haaland
Card magnet Mateo Kovacic
Assist ace Kevin De Bruyne
Set-piece aerial threat Erling Haaland

Man Utd

Star man Bruno Fernandes
Top scorer Rasmus Hojlund
Penalty taker Bruno Fernandes
Card magnet Kobbie Mainoo
Assist ace Amad Diallo
Set-piece aerial threat Matthijs de Ligt

Man City vs Man Utd bet builder predictions

Over 2.5 goals
Nine of Manchester City's 11 home matches in all competitions have featured over 2.5 goals, as have four of United's last five games

Josko Gvardiol to have two or more shots
United have struggled to defend set-pieces recently and they could be troubled by City defender Gvardiol, who averages 1.5 shots per game in the league this term

Manuel Ugarte to be shown a card
Booked 11 times in 28 league starts for Ruben Amorim's Sporting in 2022-23, Ugarte has been cautioned in United's clashes with Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal

Pays out at 6-1 with Paddy Power

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.