Fair enough, it isn’t the biggest Manchester derby ever but it is certainly one of the most important for years, perhaps even decades. For the first time in a very long time City see themselves as genuine contenders to take the title from United and after a summer of unprecedented spending they should go into this tie full of confidence. Both sides are level on 12 points, though United have played a game more, and they will both be eager to emerge victorious from one of England’s most highly charged derby fixtures.
City managed to tempt Carlos Tevez away from United over the summer and following his arrival they put a sign up in Manchester with Tevez’s image on a blue background with the words ‘welcome to Manchester’ written across it (see pic). This riled the United fans and I expect this to be a very hard fought contest. There are question marks over whether Tevez will play against his former club as he has been struggling with an injury but if he is fit enough to play I;m sure boss Mark Hughes will use the Argentine, even if he is restricted to a place on the bench.
Despite the arrival of a wealth of attacking talent at Eastlands over the summer they are in the middle of a striker crisis. Tevez is unlikely to play, though there is a possibility, while Roque Santa Cruz is also described as ‘very doubtful’ to face the current champions. Emmanuel Adebayor will play no part after the FA banned him for three games following his unsavoury exploits in City’s victory over Arsenal last weekend, while Brazilian superstar Robinho is also ruled out through injury.
The Premier League betting odds are heavily in United’s favour, perhaps in light of City’s problems up front, but I still expect this to be a very close affair. The war of words between the two clubs has already started, with United the more vocal of the two sides, to add some extra spice to an already fiery encounter.
Wayne Rooney has stated he expects United to emerge with all three points after the meeting at Old Trafford on Sunday as the England striker believes they have a winning mentality that money can’t buy.
This is what Rooney told English newspaper the Daily Mail: “They have bought some great players and there is a real excitement around the city. It’s great for everyone in Manchester and probably in the Premier League too, because there’s another team now challenging.
“But we all know that it’s not just about who you buy and how much you spend. I’m confident we’ll see off their threat.
“We have the experience of winning big trophies and a manager who has been there, seen it and done it.”
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has described City as ‘cocky’ since their take-over and he will be eager to put them back in their place, so to speak, when the two sides meet on Sunday.
Speaking to American radio station Sirius XM the United boss said: “The rivalry has gone up a notch in the last few months, with them signing all those players and then coming up with that advert and all their posters about Carlos Tevez,
“They’ve been a bit, how can I put it, cocky. Yes, a bit cocky. They’ve got seven centre-forwards now, which is crazy, just amazing.”
Manchester derby days are always events to watch out for in the English football calendar but this one is one of the most anticipated meetings between these two clubs in years. For the neutral it should be a great spectacle with plenty of talent on display, even if City are missing some key players, and hopefully it will produce a couple of goals. The soccer betting favourites may be United in this particular encounter but they won’t get it all their own way and I’m sure City will cause the home side problems.
