Michael Owen agrees with pundits on Manchester United vs Man City prediction

Manchester City and Manchester United will be going in search of the local bragging rights when they go head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

City, who won the reverse fixture 2-0 at Old Trafford back in November, will be aiming to strengthen their grip on top spot, whereas United will be looking to bolster their hopes of securing a place in the top four. The outcome of Saturday's clash between Liverpool and West Ham United could also determine the pre-match mindset of both sides.

City will enter the contest chasing a third successive victory in all competitions. After beating Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park last weekend, Pep Guardiola's side booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a routine 2-0 win over Peterborough United.

READ MORE: Pep Guardiola sees Ralf Rangnick's Manchester United joining Premier League trend

United, meanwhile, will be looking to get back to winning ways after back-to-back draws against Atletico Madrid and Watford. However, they are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions.

But what do the pundits think will be the outcome of Sunday's highly anticipated match? Below, MEN Sport has taken a look at some predictions ahead of the clash.

Mark Lawrenson - BBC Sport

"This is probably City's most important game of the season," Lawrenson told BBC Sport. "We saw what Tottenham did to them on the counter-attack at Etihad Stadium a couple of weeks ago and United have the players to carry out a similar game plan.

"I'm still not entirely convinced by United under Ralf Rangnick but they do always create chances - they were held by Watford last week, but they had enough opportunities to win three games. So, I think United will score - but then they have to keep