“Going to get pumped” - Chris Sutton makes brutal Man City vs Man Utd scoreline prediction for derby clash

Domestic football returns after the international break this weekend and it’s an absolutely stacked card of Premier League fixtures to look forward to.

The North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham will take centre stage on Saturday before Manchester United head to the Etihad on Sunday for the second of the big rivalries of the round.

Erik ten Hag’s side have kicked on after a poor start to the campaign while Manchester City have been in lethal form led by the impressive Erling Haaland in attack.

Although some are predicting a tight contest between the two city rivals, one former Premier League striker isn’t so sure that the Red Devils will stand up to the might of Pep Guardiola’s defending champions.

Here is what Chris Sutton had to say in his BBC Premier League predictions column for the weekend:

“They are going to get pumped” - Sutton predicts heavy defeat for United

The former Chelsea and Aston Villa forward was writing his weekly predictions column for the BBC and going up against Al Greenwood - the drummer for Indie rock band Sports Team and a Manchester United fan.

Predicting a 4-1 win for City, Sutton said: “For all the positivity about Manchester United’s progress under Erik ten Hag, they are playing Manchester City - who are the best team in the country and by far the best team in Manchester.

“We saw Arsenal created chances against United in their last league game, but failed to take them.

“If City play anywhere near as well as they can do, they will do the same - and they won’t miss.

“United could cause them problems on the counter, but a more likely scenario is that they are going to get pumped.”

Greenwood, on the other hand, describes his own prediction as “highly optimistic” and wrote: “We have beaten City at Etihad Stadium a few times in the past couple of years, which suggests we’ve got a chance this time - but going there still fills me with a little bit of dread.

“We have a chance though, and the way we will set up to hit them on the break is a way of getting at City, so I am going for a highly optimistic victory. 1-2.”