Manchester United vs. Manchester City Picks: is This the End of United's Winning Run?

Erling Haaland to Score First

After his goal against Everton two weeks ago, Haaland has now scored 21 Premier League goals in 16 games. It's an astonishing run that has broken countless records in the process, and the Norwegian is by far the best goalscorer on the planet right now.

Haaland did not score first in the last Manchester derby, but he still got a hat trick in his first-ever game against United. He scored two in the first half and another in the second half, as Phil Foden scored the first goal in the 6-3 rout for City.

Predicting Haaland to score is easy, as he is -120 to score anytime in this game. City's top scorer is +290 to score first, however.

Pick: Erling Haaland to score the first goal is +290 with FanDuel.

Manchester City to Win 3-1

Despite United’s resurgence since the defeat to City in October, it is still miles off what City is capable of. Only Aston Villa has beaten United ever since that loss, meaning it has managed to avoid defeat in 17 of the 18 fixtures since.

On the other hand, only Liverpool and Brentford have beaten City since that day in October as well, as it is now only five points behind the league leaders Arsenal, and it has also scored 45 goals from only 17 Premier League games.

At the same time, Haaland continues to be the league’s best goalscorer, De Bruyne has found his feet once more and City has gone on to score 12 goals in the five games since the World Cup finished, conceding only four in the process.

It wouldn’t surprise anybody that much if United were to win, but based on the last game between these two and with Haaland in the offense, City is the favorite to win. United should still get a goal, however, so we’re heading for a 3-1 City victory.

Pick: Manchester City to win 3-1 is +1200 with FanDuel.

Marcus Rashford 2 or More Shots on Target

Although our pick is for City to win, Marcus Rashford has been in stunning form for United over the past few months. He scored two goals against Charlton Athletic on Tuesday and it means he has scored in six games in a row for the Red Devils and brought his tally to 15 goals this season, including seven in the Premier League.

The United superstar is also no stranger to scoring against his rivals, as he has netted four goals against them in his career so far. He has, however, been on the losing side nine times out of the 16 Manchester derby fixtures he's played in.

Nevertheless, despite City’s dominance over United since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, United still tends to score against City. We think Rashford could be that man, and in his current form, he’ll surely hit the target a few times.

Pick: Marcus Rashford to have two or more shots on target.