The Mirror website ludicrously termed the upcoming match with United the “the biggest Manchester Derby of all time”. Most fans would take exception at that description, with the result of the Derby having very little bearing on how the season will finish. Sure, a win for City would open the door for Liverpool or Spurs in the race for second place, but that doesn’t constitute the biggest Derby in the clubs’ storied history.
However, there is plenty on the line in terms of bragging rights, not the mention the fact that there is the likely possibility of a City win meaning the title is officially secured (this is being written before kick-off of United vs. Swansea and Everton vs. City). Of course, bookies have suspended betting on City to win the league, but there is plenty of good bets to be made on the Derby. Some of the more interesting odds are discussed below.
City incredibly short odds for a Derby fixture
First of all, a City win is given odds of 4/7 or lower with all major bookmakers. You would have to go back a very long time to see City as short with the bookies in a game against United. The draw is more or less 3/1 across the board, with the United victory given 9/2. From a pure betting perspective, the draw doesn’t look a bad pick, as you would expect Mourinho to try to do everything to avoid defeat. Expect plenty of ‘park the bus’ clichés to be bandied about before and after the match.
In light of the above, the over/under goals market is also worth looking at. City games played at home in the Premier League this season average 4.03 goals, which is the highest in the league. For that reason, you would be drawn to 21/10 (Unibet) for over 3.5 goals in the game. However, this is United and Mourinho, so things are sure to be a little bit tighter. Under 2.5 goals looks pretty smart at just a shade above evens with a wide range of bookmakers.
Low-scoring City win might be the best option for punters
It would be take a while to go into all the correct score permutations, but you are looking at odds of about 7/1 for a City 1-0 or 2-0 win. It is 12/1 for 0-0 if you think Mourinho’s tactics are going to stink out the Etihad on Saturday evening. If you are looking for something spectacular, and you might want to check out these free bet no deposit offers for something outrageous, then a 5-2 City victory is given odds of 125/1 by both William Hill and Bet Victor. If you have secretly been a United fan all these years, then you might want to look at the 125/1 odds (again, Bet Victor) for a 3-0 United victory – just don’t cheer to loudly from the South Stand if you win the bet.
Rounding off with the BTTS markets, City are best priced with 888sport to beat United while conceding. The score draw is given odds of 4/1 with most bookmakers, with United factored in at 10/1 to beat City with both teams scoring. It’s 4/5 for both teams to score regardless of the result and evens for at least one side to keep a clean sheet.