Both Manchester City and Manchester United have endured difficult starts to the 2025/2026 Premier League seasons.
Ahead of Sunday’s much-awaited clash between the two sides, Pep Guardiola and Co are a point behind United after their first three games, with Ruben Amorim’s side accumulating just four points so far.
With Omar Marmoush suffering a knee injury and Rayan Cherki sidelined for two months after injuring his thigh as well, City could be missing two key stars for the contest at the Etihad Stadium.
However, after losing 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City will be desperate not to drop points in two games in a row at home.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola with his arms crossed.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Peter Crouch predicts Man City to beat Manchester United
While Manchester City tend to be favourites every time they have locked horns with Manchester United in recent years, the visitors are coming off the back of a 3-2 win against Burnley while City lost 2-1 against Brighton.
Perhaps the only positives for the Sky Blues are that Erling Haaland scored five goals against Moldova while Bernardo Silva got on the scoresheet against Hungary as well.
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Speaking on The Peter Crouch Podcast, the former Liverpool striker backed Manchester City to beat Manchester United: “I think this is a good game for City. You know, like Burnley at home is a potential banana skin. You know what I mean?”
“Especially at home, I just think that’s a difficult game for them. You know, like, if they’re not winning, the crowd are on them. Whereas, I think, going, as bad as it sounds for a Manchester Derby, you go to City and you’re not expected to win.
“I think you can go and get a good, if you get a positive result, I think the whole mindset, you know, it could change.”
Peter Crouch eventually predicted Manchester City to win 3-1 against Manchester United: “I’m going to go 3-1, Man City.”
Man City’s last five results at home against Manchester United
Crouch’s prediction bodes well for a Sky Blues side, who are in need to win handsomely and prove that they have what it takes to win the Premier League title this season.
While the Red Devils impressed against Burnley, they were leaky at the back and both Fulham and Arsenal have shown this campaign that Ruben Amorim and Co have plenty of room for improvement.
With the showdown set to take place at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City and Manchester United’s recent fixtures indicate how closely-fought their upcoming encounter could be.
MAN CITY’S LAST FIVE RESULTS AT HOME VS MANCHESTER UNITED
SCORELINE WINNER
1-2 MANCHESTER UNITED
3-1 MANCHESTER CITY
6-3 MANCHESTER CITY
4-1 MANCHESTER CITY
0-2 MANCHESTER UNITED
In their past five outings, City have won three games and United have won two.
As a result, while Peter Crouch’s prediction could very well be on the cards, it is always tough to predict who comes on top between Manchester City and Manchester United.