5 reasons why Manchester United could beat Manchester City | Premier League 2021-22

#3 Manchester United attackers are finding their groove

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - Premier League

Manchester City will have their work cut out trying to contain the Manchester United forwards on Saturday. Mason Greenwood helped Manchester United turn up the heat as they were chasing the game against Atalanta in the second half.

Greenwood provided the assist for Cristiano Ronaldo's late equalizer. The youngster looked sharp and the time off seems to have done him some good.

Marcus Rashford is an expert at running in behind the defence and this Manchester City backline is vulnerable to that. He has looked sharp since returning from injury and he could be deployed from the start here.

Rashford is also well-rested which means that the Manchester City full-backs will need be on high-alerts and not commit forward as much as they would want to. Edinson Cavani has been very impressive in the limited opportunities he has been given.

He was at his industrious best against Tottenham Hotspur last week and scored a well deserved goal as well. On top of that, Jadon Sancho made an impression in his little cameo against Atalanta. United have plenty of attackers who offer very different things. This facilitates better in-game management.

Solskjaer is also pretty good with his substitutions and this attacking depth could turn things in Manchester United's favour on Saturday.

#2 Manchester United unbeaten against Manchester City in last four league matches

Manchester City v Manchester United - Premier League

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won more games against Pep Guardiola than he has lost. He has had Pep's number in recent meetings. Manchester United are unbeaten in their last four league meetings against Manchester City and have won three of their last four games against them.

Manchester United have scored six goals in that time while Manchester City have scored just one. As a club legend, Solskjaer also knows just how important these derbies are. His side have also performed best when they are under pressure, although the humiliation against Liverpool is an exception.

But the important thing here is that Manchester United know that they can beat this Manchester City side. They have done it convincingly in the recent past. This is also not Manchester City's finest hour per se. It's hard to fault Manchester United for fancying their chances here.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes' form

BSC Young Boys v Manchester United: Group F - UEFA Champions League

Bruno Fernandes' playmaking has been on a different level altogether this term. With Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival, Fernandes' goals have dried up for obvious reasons. But he has only channeled that energy towards orchestrating play for his side.

Since joining Manchester United, Fernandes has been involved in more goals than any other Premier League player in all competitions. He has created a whopping 37 chances so far in the Premier League, which is 12 more than Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jack Grealish who are joint-second.

In Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United have one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the game. He has been in spectacular form as well. He scored a wonderful volley against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend. He then bagged a brace against Atalanta.

The second goal against the Serie A outfit was yet another stunning volley but this time it came from outside the box. When Ronaldo is in that kind of form, he is difficult to silence. With Bruno Fernandes carving out close to four big chances per game, it would be foolish to write this Manchester United side off.