The battle to be the top dogs in not just England but Manchester itself comes to a head at Old Trafford on Sunday lunch-time as the Premier League top two clashes in the biggest game of the season so far (United 21/20, City 11/4, draw 12/5 – Match Betting).
Despite Sir Alex Ferguson recently claiming United’s game with Liverpool was the “biggest game in world football” the fact the Anfield side have not really troubled the Red Devils for the big prizes takes the gloss off the clash somewhat.
The United boss’ claims contained an element of mind games – as he knows big-spending City are his team’s biggest threat for the Premier League title this season – with Ferguson further stirring the pot this week by claiming his team had already played all top sides in the table so far, excluding City and thus ignoring them as real contenders.
City fans will have paid close attention to the fact Ferguson’s way of viewing the fixture has altered dramatically in recent years, as he has described Roberto Mancini’s side as a “small club with a small mentality” and “noisy neighbours”, comments which hark back to psychological battles of old he had with Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez when he saw them as his closest rivals.
Coming into Sunday lunch-time’s game at Old Trafford, City sit atop the Premier League table with a two-point advantage over their rivals, so part of their mentality could be to hold United and not give them the satisfaction of two-folded bragging rights, as a win would couple with leapfrogging them to the summit (0-0 15/2 and 1-1 11/2 – Correct Score).
Both sides are unbeaten in the league and recorded their first Champions League wins of the season in midweek. With United’s defence looking shaky regularly so far this campaign and City boasting an incredible array of attacking talent then Citizens fans could cross Manchester in buoyant mood they can get one over on their more illustrious rivals.
The statistics do not make great reading for City however, as United have won every Premier League game at Old Trafford since a draw with West Brom 12 months ago – indeed it is 24 wins from 25 matches since Chelsea beat them at home in April 2010. United also beat City in the Community Shield thanks to an injury-time winner from winger Nani, although how the result of a glorified friendly matters is open to debate.
Sunday’s game is far too early in the season to be regarded as a title decider but the atmosphere around Old Trafford would probably suggest to the contrary as the Manchester derbies be the biggest games of the season to both sets of fans. A victory for City could signify a real shift in power, not only in Manchester but in English football as a whole, so it is possible that United have more to lose out of the two sides.
The game is going to be littered with potential match-winners as both teams can boast a side full of international stars, but on many occasions a clash with such promise can turn out to be a damp squib. This game last season was lit up by Wayne Rooney’s match-winning overhead kick and it could be another moment of magic which seizes the day (Rooney 4/1 First Goal scorer).
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