EPL Odds: Man U Ravaged By Injury For Manchester Derby

Manchester City (-109) vs. Manchester United (+350), Draw (+285)

It’s old money vs. new; Pep Guardiola vs. Jose Mourinho; and do-or-die for fourth place. Of course, I’m talking about the Manchester Derby!

Manchester City (19-7-6, 64 points) have kindly invited Manchester United (17-12-3, 63 points) over this Thursday (April 27th) for a high-stakes Premier League match. With only one point between them and a Champions League qualification up for grabs, this is a huge game for both sides.

Man City were looking pretty miserable during their four-game winless streak, which included a Champions League elimination against Monaco and a heartbreaking loss to leaders Chelsea. But their mood was on the up and up after back-to-back wins against Hull (3-1) and Southampton (3-0).

Then their morale took another dip after they lost 2-1 to Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday. With an empty trophy cabinet and virtually no chance of winning the title, all Man City can hope for now is a top-four finish, which would at least grant them a Champions League spot for next year.

Standing in their way is Manchester United, who are unbeaten in 23 league games and are fresh off a huge win against title favorites Chelsea (2-1). Despite a few nervous games, they remain the favorites for the Europa League and have already picked up a trophy this season in the form of a League Cup.

All this points to Man United being the favorites in the upcoming derby, but not so quick. The Red Devils have been ravished with injuries in the last few weeks.

Most notably, leading goal-scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic suffered a season-ending (and potentially career-ending) knee injury during their Europa win against Anderlecht. Ibra has scored a whopping 17 league goals this season, far more than any other United player.

Also out with a season-ending knee injury is defender Marcos Rojo. Mourinho will be hard-pressed to find a replacement for him, especially since fellow defenders Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are also injured.

To top it off, Paul Pogba hobbled off the pitch during their most recent game against Burnley. It’s uncertain whether he’ll be cleared to start on Thursday.

While Man U loses their men like it’s the shores of Gallipoli, Man City is sending more men into battle. Star defender Vincent Kompany, who was injured for what felt like a decade, is finally back in the starting lineup.

You have to rewind all the way back to October to find the last time United lost a league match, but they have dropped three of the last five derbies at the Etihad. And with the injuries they’ve sustained, it’s looking likely that they’ll lose another.

Pick: Manchester City (-109)