Man City v Man Utd Betting – Carling Cup Semi Final First Leg

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini suffered his first defeat since taking over at Eastlands, as his side lost 2-0 at Everton on Sunday. It had been a perfect start for the Italian since taking over at from Mark Hughes, and it will have been the first time that he saw his team outplayed so much. Whether they could just never quite get going, or whether Everton really were that good, there will be lessons to be learned from the performance. Defeat often does that to teams, and now it will be a test of Mancini’s management skills as he steels his troops to take on rivals Manchester United in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi final.

This is the rearranged match which was postponed due to the winter UK conditions, and the defeat against Everton will have signalled the end of Mancini’s honeymoon period. They have looked much better, much more decisive under the new management, but there were really undone against Everton. Every team will have their off day of course, but those dropped three points cost City quite dearly in the face for fourth spot in the Premier League. City could now have had a comfortably three point cushion, but are instead level with Tottenham on 38. There is now an immediate need to turn back to winning ways.

There was still no appearance by on-loan Patrick Vieira in City colours, and he will still be missing from the line-up on Tuesday night at the City of Manchester Stadium. Adebayor will still take the time he needs to get back into action after withdrawing from the African Cup of Nations and after Brazilian striker Robinho’s woeful performance against Everton, Mancini will be relying on a big performance from ex-United star Carlos Tevez to guide them to a first leg advantage. The little Argentinian has been in sparkling form for City of late.

With Aston Villa having one foot in the door of the final against Blackburn, this is a big test now for Alex Ferguson as well, after unceremoniously being dumped out of the FA Cup by League One side Leeds United. With a season of surprising results for United, and having seen Premier League challengers Chelsea hit seven goals on Saturday, the Carling Cup, for United, will take on extra meaning now. Ferguson will likely go with as strong a team as possible, whereas, had this been a normal season, dominating the league and still in the FA Cup, things may just have been different.

Ferguson pretty much has a full squad to choose from, with only a couple of minor exceptions, but missing the likes of Hargreaves and Ferdinand has become the norm for the season, and they are carrying on without them. The two sides produced a classic when they met in the league earlier in the season, with a late goal from Michael Owen clinching a 4-3 win for the Reds. If we get half of that excitement it will be great, but things could be a little bit tighter. Manchester City’s best chance will probably to be attack though, and try to get as much out of the home advantage as they can. Under Mancini they have generally looked more cohesive going forward than under Hughes.

It is Carlos Tevez who is the pivotal player for City, and if Vieira could have been fit for the game, then it can be assured that he would have loved to have turned out against United for his first game back in the English top flight. He could be the extra still and class that City would have benefited from in this game, and certainly in the match against Everton. United though haven’t been at their best this season, but have still proved to be better than most, by keeping up challenges in the League and the Champions League.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
Man Utd 4, Man City 3
Man Utd, 2 Man City 0
Man City 0, Man Utd 1
Man Utd 1, Man City 2
Man City 1, Man Utd 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Man City – 10 For, 3 Against
Man Utd – 12 For, 3 Against

Last 10 Form
Man City – W7, D1, L2
Man Utd – W6, D1, L3

Win Percentage
Man City have a 69.2 win percentage at home
Man Utd have a 66.7 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Manchester City to win: 8/5 at Paddy Power
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
Manchester United to win: 19/10 at Boylesports

Betting Advice: Intriguing game this one, to say the least. Manchester City will want to attack, but by the same measure, Ferguson will send him men out probably with a more defensive frame of mind. They will be looking to take at least a draw back to Old Trafford for the second leg, as that is where their strengths should like. It could all hinge on how creative Tevez is in breaking down the United defence. Tough call on the outcome, but would lean towards a draw. Instead will go for over/under.
Under 2.5 Goals – 4/5 at BetFred