Wayne Rooney back from injury to squash City at Old Trafford

A lack of goals on the road has fatally undermined City’s title defence this season and it could well undermine their defence of their local pride on Saturday at Old Trafford too. Manchester United are  7/2 to win to nil and put the cherry on top of a season in which they have put their noveau-riche rivals firmly back in their place.

Travelling Citizens expecting this year to be a continuation of the buccaneering away performances of last term have been given meagre reward for their support. Just twice all season long have the Sky Blues posted hauls of greater than two goals at the grounds of their opponents.

This would be worrying enough for City fans, but the fact that their red-shirted rivals have kept six clean sheets in a row in the league, the tenth longest streak of shutouts in Premier League history.

The perfect nature of runs likes this can make the punter feel their fragility over-keenly but this stinginess has been evident over a longer period of time with four of their last six Old Trafford League games ending in wins to-nil for the hosts.

If more bad omens were needed for City, Wayne Rooney’s return from a groin injury sustained on England duty has coincided to send shudders through the Sky Blue defence. When United have prevailed in recent matches against their rivals it has been the carrot-topped Liverpudlian that has emerged as their nemesis bagging braces in two 3-2 derby wins. Rooney is 9/1 to score two or more against City again.

If City are not to be allowed to land a blow then it could see the derby take a different complexion to four of the last five renewals, which topped the bar at over 4.5. Coral bet 21/20 on under 2.5 goals or 2/5 on under 3.5. The Manchester United 2-0 correct score pays 12/1.