Manchester City will head to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday eager to continue their recent winning run.
City have reeled off five successive victories in all competitions and will fancy their chances of making it six this weekend.
Although the title looks to be on its way to Merseyside this term, City will be keen to maintain their momentum over the next couple of months.
Pep Guardiola’s side could still end the campaign with three trophies, meaning it is vitally important that they stay focused in every game they play.
City can be backed at odds of 4/6 to beat United and there are likely to be plenty of punters willing to play up their winnings from www.videoslots.com/ to back them to pick up three points.
Read on as we take a closer look at some of the main talking points ahead of the derby game and predict who we think will come out on top.
De Bruyne the key to success
The news that Kevin De Bruyne could be fit to play against United will be music to the ears of City fans everywhere.
The midfielder sustained a shoulder injury during City’s Carabao Cup Final victory over Aston Villa and missed the midweek FA Cup tie at Sheffield Wednesday.
However, it is believed that the injury is not too serious and De Bruyne may well be in the line-up against the Red Devils.
De Bruyne has been in fine form this season, scoring nine goals and assisting 20 more in 34 appearances in all competitions.
He produced a masterclass at Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, creating one and scoring another as City triumphed 2-1.
City look a much better team with De Bruyne in the starting XI and they will be desperate for him to be fit enough to face United this weekend.
Aguero has Rooney in his sights
Sergio Aguero has already cemented his status as a City legend, but he still has plenty of other things to achieve before the end of his career.
The club’s record goalscorer has bagged nine goals against United, two short of Wayne Rooney’s record of 11 derby goals.
One goal this weekend would see him draw level with City legends Francis Lee and Joe Hayes, but it is undoubtedly Rooney’s tally that he will have in his sights.
His goal against Wednesday in midweek was his 254th for City in 367 appearances – one more than Rooney managed for United in 559 games.
Aguero is currently 80 goals adrift of Alan Shearer’s record of 260 goals in the Premier League, although the Argentinian is within touching distance of Rooney and Andrew Cole on that list.
He can be backed at odds of 5/6 to get on the scoresheet against United this weekend and that looks great value for a player who simply loves scoring goals.
Big injury headache for United
United have been on an upward curve over the past few weeks and are unbeaten in their last nine outings in all competitions.
The Red Devils triumphed 2-1 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season and are aiming to complete their first league double over City since 2009/10.
They head into the weekend just three points adrift of the top four and with genuine hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
However, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a major injury headache this weekend with Harry Maguire currently struggling with an ankle problem.
The England defender has played a key role in United’s upturn in form and his absence would be a major blow to their hopes of success this weekend.
Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford will also miss the game, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James are expected to return to the squad.
Man Utd vs Man City – The final word
It has been a busy campaign for City and things are unlikely to slow down too much over the coming weeks.
They follow up the derby clash with home fixtures against Arsenal and Burnley in the league, before facing Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League tie.
With a trip to Newcastle United in the FA Cup to follow, the next few weeks are hugely important to City’s hopes of claiming more silverware.
They already have the Carabao Cup in the bag and look well placed to make further progress in the Champions League and FA Cup.
A positive result against United would provide City with the perfect platform to tackle their upcoming tests and they are strongly fancied to pick up three points this weekend.
A win to nil for City can be backed at odds of 2/1 and that could be the way to play this one.