Red Devils aiming to end City’s derby dominance at Old Trafford

Manchester United will go into their derby encounter with rivals Manchester City ahead on points in the Premier League table, but Louis van Gaal’s Red Devils will be aiming to thwart a dominant record held by their blue opposition.

Manuel Pellegrini’s reigning champions have endured a recent domestic decline during the defence of their title, having led Chelsea at the table’s summit at the beginning of this calendar year, and they have now slipped down to fourth place behind United in third.

Although, City are vying to inflict a fifth consecutive derby defeat on their bitter rivals for the first time in history, having asserted recent supremacy since securing a famous domestic title triumph in 2012. Both Manchester clubs are a 17/10 chance with Coral to secure a derby day win, proving how close proceedings are set to be on the red half of the city in this crucial clash.

Few would have predicted that United would be placed higher than City in the top flight table before kick-off but, after a huge reversal in form and fortunes of both teams, the stage is now set for an epic encounter at Old Trafford.

The gloom of that previous miserable campaign for United seems to have finally lifted, as the blue moon begins to stumble, a year on since City’s clinical 3-0 derby triumph away from home last season. Pellegrini’s stuttering stars are a 4/1 to win and both teams to score, having lost three of their last five league games.

Red Devils skipper Wayne Rooney is enjoying a revitalised run of scoring form, after his switch back to a familiar forward role, and the rampant frontman is 9/2 to strike anytime and United to win. The Old Trafford sharpshooter has bagged a derby goal in six consecutive seasons for United and he will be confident of making it seven on the bounce in his latest outing.

Meanwhile, the travelling champions will be relying on top scorer and talisman Sergio Aguero to fire them to a record victory over their in-form counterparts. The menacing marksman fired home the winner in a 1-0 derby triumph last November at the Etihad, and is an 11/2 chance to open proceedings in the reverse fixture.

In United’s last outing, Ander Herrera became the 15th Spaniard to score two or more goals in a Premier League match, and he is 4/1 to net anytime and add to his seven-goal tally this term.

No City manager has lost four successive top-flight away games since Stuart Pearce in September 2006, and Pellegrini will be hoping he doesn’t obtain an unwanted record with a derby loss. United are available at 17/4 to win to nil, having shipped 11 goals in their last three home clashes against their derby opponents.