This weekend, the two giants from Manchester are big favorites to win 3 points each. United is traveling to Southampton, while the Sky Blues welcome Crystal Palace in the English Premier League Round 6.
Man United and Man City are sharing the top position on the Premier League table with the same number of points and the same goal difference. That can change this weekend if one of them fails to beat their opponents.
Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace
Three-Way: 1: Manchester City -435; x: +950 Draw; 2: Crystal Palace +2500
Spread -2.5: Manchester City +116; Crystal Palace -118
Total +3.5: Over +100; Under -101
MANCHESTER CITY
Manchester City is the number 1 favorite for winning the Premier League title this season, which is not a surprise given the fact that they have an amazing team. So far, they have been playing at top level, especially when it comes to attacking. In the last three matches (counting all competitions), this team has scored a total of 15 goals.
Manchester City is topping the table with 13 points and a goal difference of 16:2, the same as the number 2 on the table, their city-rivals, Man United. This season, they won all matches apart from the one with Everton, which ended 1:1.
Manchester City’s manager can be happy as there is no new injury news in his team. In fact, the only missing player is Vincent Kompany, who has been out for a while now. All the key players of Man City are fit and ready to give their best on Saturday.
Although all of Manchester City players have been sensational so far, it’s their attacking duo that deserves the most attention. It appears that Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero are the two strikers who can beat any goalkeeper in the world. It shouldn’t surprise you if each of them manages to put a goal away against Crystal Palace.
CRYSTAL PALACE
Crystal Palace is the team with by far the worst form of all Premier League teams this season. They are still without a single point, which is why they’re on the very bottom of the table. The disastrous run was the reason why Frank de Boer got fired and replaced by another manager, Roy Hodgson. Unfortunately for Crystal Palace fans, the change didn’t make an immediate impact – Hodgson’s team lost to Southampton on his debut as the team’s manager.
Still, Crystal Palace showed some signs of improvement since Hodgson arrived. Last week, they won in the League Cup, against Huddersfield 1:0. Obviously, their biggest concern is the poor form of their strikers, especially Benteke. The Belgian attacker might even lose his spot in the first team due to a disastrous run. Because Zaha and Wickham are injured, it seems that Hodgson will put Sako and Lee in the attack against Man City.
Another thing that doesn’t go in favor of Crystal Palace is that they have a very bad history with Manchester City. In fact, they lost all of their 6 previous meetings. In their last clash, Manchester City defeated them 5:0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace – Match Prediction
I have no doubt that the Sky Blues will take all 3 points from this game. The only question that remains is with what goal difference. We are likely to see at least a couple of goals in the Crystal Palace net, which is why my pick is going to be Asian Handicap -2.5 Manchester City.
MY PICK: Manchester City AH -2.5 (+116)
Southampton vs. Manchester United
Three-Way: 1: Southampton +450; x: +292 Draw; 2: Manchester United -122
Spread +0.5: Southampton +125; Manchester United -125
Total +2.5: Over +112; Under -114
SOUTHAMPTON
Although Southampton players haven’t been playing at the top level, this team still is in a respectable position on the table. After 5 rounds of the Premier League, they have 8 points, which they won after beating West Ham and Crystal Palace and playing draw with Huddersfield and Swansea. In fact, they only lost one match so far. Watford beat them 2:0, two rounds ago.
As you can see, this team had a pretty easy schedule so far, with their biggest challenge coming on Saturday. There is a few good news coming from Southampton ahead of that clash. The most important is that they are injury-free. All of the players who have been key in Southampton’s squad this season are 100% fit. Furthermore, even Vigil Van Dijk might come back, although he’s probably struggling with match fitness.
The only bad news is that Man United is coming to town! Southampton has bad memories of duels with the Red Devils, especially when it comes to the matches played at the St. Mary’s Stadium. In fact, Southampton lost 8 out of 9 previous duels with Man United that were played on their home turf.
MANCHESTER UNITED
The Red Devils have been sensational this Premier League season, which isn’t a surprise given the fact that they have an amazing team. This summer, they brought Lukaku from Everton, which quickly turned out to be a great move. The striker is the most prolific scorer of Man United this season with 5 goals to his name so far.
But, the Belgian attacker wouldn’t be that prolific if it wasn’t for the support of his teammates, who have been playing great, creating a number of good goal chances each match. One player that stands out is Mkhitaryan, who has made 5 goal assists so far, more than any other Premier League player.
Another player who deserves a lot of praise is Paul Pogba. Unfortunately, he got injured recently and will be out for at least a couple of weeks. Losing Pogba is a serious blow, but that shouldn’t cause any major problems to Man United, at least not in the clash with Southampton. Speaking of injuries, the Red Devils will also be without Ibrahimovic, Rojo, and Shaw.
Southampton vs. Manchester United – Match Prediction
The Red Devils will look to continue their positive streak in the English Premier League. Manchester United looks unbeatable at the moment. They have the squad that can beat probably any side in the Premier League, nonetheless the mediocre team of Southampton. Because of that, I can see them easily taking all 3 points from this match.
MY PICK: Manchester United to win (-122)
