Manchester United and Manchester City meet at Old Trafford on Sunday (7:30 pm UAE Time) for the first Manchester derby of the new Premier League season, and UAE-based fans have a fairly clear idea of how they expect it to go.
Pre-match insights from Play971, the UAE’s first and currently only licensed sports wagering and internet gaming platform, points strongly towards a City victory. But while United are attracting considerably less backing for the result, fans are not ruling them out in front of goal.
The anonymised data, recorded as of 11AM on September 11, provides a snapshot of how eligible players in the UAE are reading the derby ahead of kick-off.
City the clear favourite
Manchester City are the overwhelming pick to leave Old Trafford with a win under their belt, accounting for 92% of outright win wagers on the fixture. United account for the remaining 8%, with City attracting 5 times as many win selections as their neighbours.
It is a sizeable gap, but the picture becomes more interesting when the focus shifts from the final result to what might happen during the 90 minutes.
Some 42% of all wagers placed so far expect both teams to score, suggesting that while players are heavily favouring City for the result, they are far less willing to write United out of the game altogether.
Goals are firmly in the forecast
That expectation extends beyond both teams finding the net. There has also been interest in the Over 3.5 Goals market, pointing to expectations of an open derby with chances at both ends.
It leaves an interesting pre-match picture: City are clear favourites among those making outright selections, but there is also a strong expectation that United will have their say in front of their home crowd.
Fans have largely kept their selections straightforward so far, although the data shows some beginning to combine outcomes as Sunday approaches. The broad forecast, however, remains consistent: goals, with City holding the edge.
Eligible adults who choose to include sports wagering in how they follow the match can do so through Play971, which operates under the oversight of the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), the independent UAE federal authority with exclusive jurisdiction to regulate, license and supervise commercial gaming activities in the UAE.
Source: Khaleej Times