Man Utd vs. Man City predicted by AI: Rayan Cherki, Benjamin Sesko shine in all-timer Manchester derby

Both coming off the back of Champions League victories earlier in the week, Manchester United and Manchester City clash in the Premier League for the first Manchester derby of the season on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Devils marked their return to the elite competition of European club football with a comfortable victory over minnows Sabbah at Old Trafford on Thursday, whilst the Citizens secured three points at Porto on Tuesday night.

Enzo Maresca's troops have started the new campaign flawlessly, winning three consecutive Premier League matches, while Michael Carrick's side have collected four points from their opening three top-flight battles.

With the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Erling Haaland preparing for battle this weekend, Sports Mole asked ChatGPT to predict the result of Sunday's crunch clash at the Theatre of Dreams, including goalscorers and detailed stats.

Man Utd 1-1 Man City HT - Red Devils pegged back after stunning Sesko start

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After his impressive display for Manchester United against Sabbah, Benjamin Sesko gets the nod at the focal point of attack for the hosts and immediately repays the manager's faith, converting a Matheus Cunha cross from the left after 17 minutes to put United ahead.

Exactly 17 minutes later in the 34th minute, Manchester City are level in the contest, and it is no surprise to see that Haaland has found the net, beating Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez to a header following an excellent chipped assist from Rayan Cherki.

The theme of the first half is Man Utd's fast breaks unsettling the possession-based tactics of the Citizens, who become increasingly reliant on the magic of Cherki as the match approaches the half-time interval.

Man Utd 2-2 Man City FT - Cherki, Fernandes goals lead to share of spoils

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Settling into Manchester life well, Elliot Anderson wins possession high up the pitch and feeds Haaland, who lays a pass back to Cherki on the edge of the box, with the Frenchman rolling it calmly past Senne Lammens to put Man City ahead in the 63th minute.

There is set to be another twist in the Manchester tale in the 81st minute, though, with Man Utd captain Fernandes stepping up to take a free kick - won by Youri Tielemans - and curling the ball just inside the post to make it 2-2.

The Citizens enjoy the better of control and possession at the start of the first half and deservedly take the lead through Cherki, however, United's chasing of the match is successful late on, with Fernandes equalising.

Man Utd vs. Man City: Man of the Match - Rayan Cherki

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Manchester City's Cherki is predicted to add to his four Premier League goal contributions already this season, with a goal and an assist in the Manchester derby this weekend, securing a point for the visitors.

The Citizens' possession structure is tipped to give the 23-year-old the opportunity to take advantage of Manchester United's defensive frailties, leading to a standout performance from the Frenchman.

The AI is also predicting Cherki to be highly influential outside of the defining moments in the Theatre of Dreams contest, recording four shots on goal and an impressive total of three key passes during the 90 minutes.

Man Utd 2-2 Man City - Match stats

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As expected, Manchester City enjoy the majority of possession in our simulation, considering Manchester United's tendency to hit more high-profile opposition on the break with the pace of Bryan Mbeumo and Cunha.

The shot tallies are remarkably similar despite the Citizens' superior possession, and the pair can hardly be separated for shots on target, suggesting that a share of the points is a fair result in this scenario.

That being said, Man City edge both the expected goals and big chances columns, suggesting that they may be slightly disappointed that they failed to collect maximum points in our simulation.