At the end of last month,
Manchester United Supporters'
Trust put up a large banner
advertisement in Piccadilly
Gardens in the city centre:
'Welcome to Carlos Manchester'.
The message, of course, was a
riposte to City's famous
'Welcome to Manchester' poster
of 2009; United had seen it all
before, and MUST was reminding
the noisy neighbours that they
are still very much playing catch-
up.
As of Sunday's Manchester
derby, though, the teams have
more in common than a shared
dislike of a certain man from
Argentina they no longer adore -
both go into the match on the
back of Champions League ties,
and the duo occupy the top two
places in the Premier League.
Step by step, City are entering the
elite. When Roberto Mancini's
men arrive at Old Trafford on
Sunday, they will see a Stretford
End stripped of its famous banner
that, prior to last season's FA Cup
final, advertised City's 35 barren
years. They will also play the
game knowing that, thanks to
their best start to a season since
1897, they are two points clear at
the top of the table.
Asked if this represents the
biggest Manchester derby of his
25-year reign, Sir Alex Ferguson
this week said: "Yes, I think so.
The last couple of years it has
become more intense and a lot
more importance has been
attached to the games. With them
top and us second, it builds up to
a fantastic prospect for everyone.
I'm looking forward to it."
The Manchester derby represents
a chance for City to cement their
status as genuine contenders.
They have scored at least two
goals in each of their Premier
League games and, should they
defeat their rivals, they would
surely annex the confidence
required to lead a sustained title
challenge.
Much about the managers' state
of mind will be revealed by the
line-ups. Mancini has, by
comparison with his tradition,
adopted a default policy of all-out
attack this season but, given the
ruthlessness with which they
were exposed by Bayern Munich
last month, he may well revert to
type. Ferguson, whose
preference for attacking football is
well known, nonetheless named
Wayne Rooney, Nani and Javier
Hernandez among the substitutes
for the 1-1 draw at Liverpool as he
plumped instead for the more
utilitarian qualities of Darren
Fletcher, Park Ji-Sung and Phil
Jones, though the concession of a
69th-minute goal saw the
experiment swiftly abandoned
when the substitutions were
made.
It would be an understatement to
say this is a match both
managers would be loath to lose
but, with the attack-minded City
enjoying unprecedented success
and Ferguson's Anfield approach
bringing limited success, it could
well be that both managers go
out in search of victory.
Manchester United player to
watch: Nani. Nani was the star
attraction as United came back to
win the Community Shield 3-2 in
August, and his superb form has
persisted throughout the season.
He is likely to come up against
Gael Clichy, who has become
established as Mancini's first-
choice in Premier League
matches; Nani will hope for a
rerun of his commanding
performance against the
Frenchman in United's 3-1 victory
over Arsenal in January 2010.
Manchester City player to watch:
Yaya Toure. The hero of last
season's FA Cup semi-final
meeting has yet to score for his
club in the current campaign, but
he remains a key figure in the
centre of the field. As City trailed
Villarreal in midweek, Mancini
brought off Adam Johnson for
Gareth Barry to allow Toure a
more advanced midfield role and
it paid dividends; his experience as
a defensive midfielder could be
even more crucial at Old Trafford.
Key Battle: Nemanja Vidic vs
Sergio Aguero. Both Vidic and
Aguero made returns from injury
in the Champions League this
week and had markedly different
days: Vidic was sent off for a high
tackle against Otelul Galati while
Aguero netted an injury-time
winner against Villarreal.
Nonetheless, Vidic has proved
himself a reliable performer in the
big games - Liverpool aside - and
Aguero, whose better City
performances have largely come
against the smaller sides, will
need to be at his brilliant best.
Trivia: City last went into the
Manchester derby ahead of United
in the table in August 2007, when
Sir Alex Ferguson's men drew
with Reading and Portsmouth in
their opening two games. City
won the derby 1-0 courtesy of a
deflected Geovanni goal, but
United won the title and the
Champions League that season.
Stats: In their 14 Premier League
meetings at Old Trafford, United
have won nine, drawn four and
lost one.
Odds: United (2.10), City (3.50)
and the draw (3.40) are on offer
with bet365, while Nani is
available at 9.50 as first, or last,
goalscorer.
Prediction: City won out in last
season's FA Cup semi-final, but
they have not won any of the
league meetings since their
takeover. With United holding
home advantage, the reigning
Premier League champions
should be able to claim a hard-
fought victory.
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at Manchester United
Feb 12, 2011 Man Utd 2-1 Man City
(Premier League)
Jan 27, 2010 Man Utd 3-1 Man City
(Carling Cup)
Sep 20, 2009 Man Utd 4-3 Man
City (Premier League)
at Manchester City
Aug 07, 2011 Man City 2-3 Man
Utd (FA Community Shield)
Apr 16, 2011 Man City 1-0 Man Utd
(FA Cup)
Nov 10, 2010 Man City 0-0 Man
Utd (Premier League)
1:30 PM - Arsenal vs Stoke City
1:30 PM - Fulham vs Everton
3:00 PM - Blackburn Rovers vs
Tottenham Hotspur
4:00 PM - Queens Park Rangers
vs Chelsea
August 02, 2010, 11:29:57 AM