The new Premier League season has only just got up and running, but Manchester City’s position as the dominant force in English football is already starting to come under threat.
A new serious injury to Kevin De Bruyne has hit the Treble winners hard and while the manager Pep Guardiola has strength in depth, the loss of the Belgian playmaker is significant for City.
Nevertheless, City have already got their first silverware in the cabinet this season, even if they did suffer a defeat to the Premier League runners-up Arsenal in the recent Community Shield. City needed penalties to defeat Europa League winners Sevilla in the Super Cup in Athens, but they will have a chance to add another trophy when they take their place in the Club World Cup.
Across Manchester, rivals United have made a stuttering start to their second season under Erik ten Hag, who will be hoping to lead the club into a genuine title challenge against City this year.
But which of the two Manchester clubs has a better chance of winning trophies this season?
Premier League: Manchester City 8/11, Manchester United 40/1
United finished last season third – 14 points behind City – so it is easy to see why bookmakers are struggling to believe they will be able to close that gap during the 2023-24 campaign. Ten Hag will need United’s blue-chip new signing Rasmus Hojlund, the talented young Denmark international who has joined them from Atalanta, to hit the ground running once he gets fully fit.
United were relatively defensively sound last season but they only scored 58 goals in their 38 Premier League matches. For context, that is the same number of goals that were scored by Brentford, who finished ninth. Leicester City, who were relegated down to the Championship, managed to find the net on 51 occasions, showing the extent to which United lacked threat.
City are chasing a fourth straight Premier League crown, an achievement even United failed to manage during the peak of their powers under the legendary Scottish manager Alex Ferguson. Their ability to do so is likely to depend on how they adapt to the loss of talisman De Bruyne, who requires surgery on his latest hamstring injury and could be out until the new year. City are not short of talented attackers, with local lad Cole Palmer making a case for more minutes after scoring in the Super Cup and Community Shield, but De Bruyne is the heartbeat of the team.
City can always rely on the record-breaking striker Erling Haaland, however. The Norwegian hitman opened his account for the season with a brace on the opening night against Burnley.
Even if De Bruyne ends up missing most of the season, Haaland is likely to fire City to glory. A fourth straight Premier League crown would mark them down as one of the greatest teams ever. But United would love to be the team to stop City from claiming that particular honour next year.
FA Cup: Manchester City 7/2, Manchester United 10/1
United’s defeat to City in last season’s final was the first time they had made it to the Wembley showpiece in five years, but Guardiola’s side do not have the best record in the competition. City have won the FA Cup just twice since Guardiola took charge of the club and recent seasons of the grand old trophy have been thrilling, with four winners lifting the cup in the past four years.
United have a long, proud history in the FA Cup, so this could be one of their best chances of beating City to silverware this season. United’s 12 FA Cup titles ranks them only behind Arsenal – the last team to defend the crown – and they have made it to the final a joint-record 21 times.
The magic of the cup means that the outcome is bound to be unpredictable, though, so it stands to reason for City to be ranked out in front when it comes to this season’s FA Cup betting odds.
League Cup: Manchester City 7/2, Manchester United 9/1
Ten Hag’s first taste of success in charge at United came in last season’s League Cup final. The Red Devils outclassed Newcastle United 2-0 at Wembley, with Sven Botman’s own goal adding to Casemiro’s opener. It gave United their first silverware in six seasons – a long, painful wait.
Guardiola has typically taken the League Cup extremely seriously, however. City won the title four years in a row between 2018 and 2021, but they have not made it to the past two finals.
While the competition may lack the glamour of the Premier League and Champions League, it does offer City the chance to make further history. They sit one behind Liverpool’s record of nine competition victories so this is yet another record that Guardiola’s City will be able to secure. City are just about unbeatable at Wembley these days and it is difficult to see who will be able to prevent them regaining their crown when this season’s League Cup final is played in February.
Champions League: Manchester City 9/4, Manchester United 18/1
City’s toughest challenge is expected to be in Europe, though not from United – according to the bookies. Real Madrid are the only team to have defended the Champions League crown in the last 30 years, with Zinedine Zidane having led the Spanish giants to a treble of European titles.
Having made it to two of the past three finals, there is no doubting City are the team to beat in the Champions League. United are not expected to seriously compete for the crown this season, though their history in the competition means that they can never be written off. City’s biggest rivals in the Champions League this season might well be Bayern Munich. The German giants have captured England captain Harry Kane – who had been linked with a move to City in the past – and they will be hoping he makes the difference when the knockout rounds arrive.
Again, however, Guardiola has history within his sights. The three-time Champions League winner is just one behind Carlo Ancelotti’s four titles and he will be determined to win it again.
