Manchester United were comfortably beaten by Manchester City when the two sides met at Old Trafford earlier in the season, but Michael Owen believes his former club can benefit from taking on Pep Guardiola's side away from home.
City won the league derby 2-0 in November, with Eric Bailly's own goal giving them the lead and Bernardo Silva adding a second before the break, and they go into the reverse fixture some 19 points ahead of their neighbours.
Owen famously scored the winning goal for Sir Alex Ferguson's United in a 2009 derby clash, as the Old Trafford side won 4-3, but the rivals have essentially changed places since that season saw United challenge for the title and City narrowly miss out on Champions League qualification.
However, despite the gulf between the sides, Owen suggests the reduced pressure of an away fixture could work in the favour of Ralf Rangnick's men.
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"I think especially going to The Etihad, I think the pressure comes off Manchester United in a way, and they can play the style of football they probably want to play to get a result," Owen told the Premier League's Matchday Live Extra.
"[It's] very difficult for Manchester United to play at Old Trafford and go and sit on the edge of their box and just play a defensive game, at Old Trafford, with your home fans, it's almost embarrassing to do that.
"But you can go to The Etihad and do it, you can sit back and you can hit on the break, and they've done that quite a few times over the years and got some good results.
"So, possibly for Manchester United, playing at The Etihad is an advantage, strange to say, but results over the years would suggest it would be."
Manchester United recorded two away league wins in the Manchester Derby under Rangnick's predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, including a 2-0 victory in March 2021.
Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw were on target in that game, while first-half goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial set United on their way to a 2-1 victory during the 2019-20 season.
United were also the only visiting league side to win at the Etihad Stadium as City won the title in 2017-18, with two goals from Paul Pogba and one from Chris Smalling helping the Red Devils come from 2-0 down to win 3-2 under Jose Mourinho.
Rangnick's visitors may also be encouraged by the fact that City have lost two home games in the league this season, compared to just one on their travels, with Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur both returning to London with all three points.
