Expert Manchester City v Sheffield United predictions and free football tips

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Manchester City v Sheffield United in the Premier League on Saturday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event, 3pm Saturday

Best bet

Manchester City to win & both teams to score
1pt 12-5 Betway, BoyleSports

Team news

Manchester City
Kevin de Bruyne, Sergio Aguero and Nathan Ake remain sidelined but Kyle Walker (hip) could return to the starting 11.

Sheffield United
John Egan returns from suspension and could replace veteran Phil Jagielka in defence. Oli McBurnie, Enda Stevens, Jack Robinson and Ben Osborn are likely to miss out.

Match preview

After taking just two points from their first 17 Premier League matches, Sheffield United require a sensational second half of the season if they are to avoid relegation.

Chris Wilder's men came up with something special on Wednesday night with a 2-1 victory over a Manchester United side bidding to return to the top of the table at Old Trafford.

The Blades landed odds of 11-1 thanks to Oliver Burke's 74th-minute winner but they are twice that price to complete an extraordinary double by beating Manchester City at the Etihad.

The Citizens claimed an 11th straight win in all competitions on Tuesday, swatting aside West Brom 5-0 at The Hawthorns, and they should be too strong for the bottom club despite the absence of star playmaker Kevin de Bruyne and club-record goalscorer Sergio Aguero.

City's improvement after a patchy start to the campaign has coincided with the defensive partnership between new signing Ruben Dias and a rejuvenated John Stones.

Since November's 2-0 defeat at Tottenham, Pep Guardiola's men have kept nine clean sheets in 11 league matches.

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The only blots on their defensive record during that run were a Dias own goal in the home draw with West Brom and an injury-time consolation strike from Callum Hudson-Odoi in City's commanding 3-1 win at Chelsea.

Pep Guardiola's men are just 8-13 to record another victory to nil but one thing that stands out in Sheffield United's poor start to the season is that they have found it easier to score against the top teams.

They have been beaten to nil in away games at Aston Villa, Southampton, Crystal Palace, Burnley and West Brom while they also failed to score in home defeats against West Ham, Everton, Wolves, and Leeds.

City's 1-0 win at Bramall Lane in October bucked that trend, as the Citizens racked up eight shots on target to the Blades' one, but Wilder's men must be encouraged by their victory at Old Trafford.

They are a decent price to score for a sixth straight game in all competitions - before Wednesday's win they had lost 3-1 to Tottenham, beaten Newcastle 1-0 for their first league victory, and seen off League One side Bristol Rovers (3-2) and Plymouth (2-1) in the FA Cup.

The Blades lost 3-2 at home to Manchester United and also scored in defeats to Leicester, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal so they could land a blow on an in-form home defence.