Coventry City welcome Brighton before Manchester United and Manchester City meet at Old Trafford in the match of the weekend.
Let’s kick off with a look at the Outright Betting where defending champions Arsenal are favourites to retain the Premier League title at 1.70, with Manchester City their closest challengers at 3.70. Chelsea trade at 9.00 while Liverpool are available at 15.00.
Click here for the latest EPL Outright Betting Markets.
SUNDAY:
COVENTRY CITY vs BRIGHTON
Coventry City remain without a point after losing each of their opening three league fixtures. They began their campaign with a 3-0 defeat away to Arsenal before suffering a narrow 1-0 home loss against Hull City.
Coventry produced a more competitive display in their latest outing but were still beaten 1-0 by Manchester City and currently sit at the bottom of the table.
Brighton occupy 10th position after collecting four points from their first three matches. They opened with an impressive 4-0 home victory over Aston Villa before narrowly losing 4-3 away to Chelsea.
The side then played out a 1-1 draw with Leeds United in the previous round. Brighton have scored eight goals so far but have also conceded five times.
Head-to-Head:
Coventry have won three of the last six meetings between the clubs, while Brighton have claimed two victories and one encounter has ended level.
The sides have not met since Brighton recorded a 3-1 FA Cup victory in February 2018. Coventry won the previous meeting on home soil by a 2-0 scoreline in 2011 so we won’t be reading too much into those results.
Betting – Click here to bet
Coventry City 4.00
Draw 3.85
Brighton 1.93
Verdict:
Coventry deserve credit for restricting Manchester City to one goal but their lack of attacking return remains a major concern and three consecutive defeats without scoring make them difficult to support.
Brighton have been far more threatening going forward, finding the back of the net eight times across their opening three fixtures. Their defensive record leaves room for improvement, although Coventry may struggle to take advantage of vulnerability at the back.
The visitors possess the stronger attack and arrive with considerably better form. I expect Brighton to create enough opportunities to secure their second victory of the campaign.
BET: Brighton to Win at 1.93
MANCHESTER UNITED vs MANCHESTER CITY
Manchester United have collected four points from their opening three league matches and enter the weekend in 11th position overall. They began with a disappointing 2-0 defeat away to Hull City before responding with a commanding 5-2 home victory over Ipswich Town.
United then shared the points with Everton in an entertaining 2-2 draw. Their seven goal return highlights their attacking threat, although six goals conceded will concern them ahead of the derby.
Manchester City lead the standings after winning all three of their opening clashes. They started with a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth before producing a dominant display to beat Crystal Palace 4-1 away from home.
City maintained their perfect record with a narrow 1-0 triumph against Coventry. They have scored seven goals and conceded only twice.
Head-to-Head:
Manchester United have enjoyed the better recent record with three victories from the last six meetings. Manchester City have won twice, while one encounter finished in a stalemate.
United earned a 2-0 home victory in the most recent derby after City won the earlier league meeting 3-0.
Betting – Click here to bet
Manchester United 3.25
Draw 3.85
Manchester City 2.15
Verdict:
Manchester United’s recent derby record provides encouragement and their attack has produced seven goals across the last two matches. However, their defensive vulnerability could be punished by a clinical City side.
Manchester City arrive with maximum points and have demonstrated their ability to win both high-scoring and tightly contested fixtures.
The derby should be competitive, especially given United’s home advantage but City’s consistency and superior defensive organisation make them my pick to claim all three points.
BET: Manchester City to Win at 2.15
Note: All prices were correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.
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