Manchester City vs. Manchester United – EPL, March 7, 2021

The Manchester derby is always a big occasion, but this game could virtually assure City of the league title – if it is not already decided.

United starts the game 14 points behind its crosstown rival but is still the closest challenger with just 11 games of the season to go.

English fans sometimes like to criticize other leagues around the world as being too one-sided. But, as BetOnline’s odds for the game between the clubs first and second in the EPL show, this league is perhaps not that different. City should win, but funny things happen in local derbies. There will be more than a few people tempted by the long odds for a United victory.

At the beginning of the year, Manchester City was 8th in the league, and there were plenty of reporters and pundits questioning Pep Guardiola’s future. But in just over two months, City has completely turned its season around. It is now 15 points clear at the top of the EPL, and the dream of a quadruple is still on as we enter the last few months of the season.

City has rediscovered the form of a couple of years ago and has now won the last 15 games in the league, let alone the other competitions it is still challenging for. More importantly, it is scoring goals for fun again – and managed to do that without the likes of Aguero and De Bruyne for a large chunk of that.

Manchester United, on the other hand, has largely received criticism of tactics and performances – even though it is still the main challenger for the league title. There may be a large points gap to makeup, but the Old Trafford club is still the most realistic alternative to City winning another EPL honor.

Results have slowed down recently, though. Although United has only lost one of its last 21 league games, it has drawn four of the last five – with fixtures against Crystal Palace and West Brom included in that run. David De Gea will miss this one because of personal reasons, but Paul Pogba might be able to get something of a run out after a spell out through injury.

Any real soccer fan will be slightly tempted by the chance of Manchester United beating the odds and winning at the Etihad on Sunday. Local derbies regularly throw up strange results – and that is even more likely without the support of the fans making their voices heard. That being said, City is looking unstoppable at the moment and should be able to put one hand on the trophy this weekend.