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| Battle Of Manchester |
The managers have spoken, the fans are geared up and its now upto the players to provide us with the match which would probably decide the fate of the Barclays Premier League Trophy. This match is undoubtedly the biggest Manchester Derby to be ever played. With an estimated 650 million people all around the world to be watching this match, we all know this will be a cracker.
Manchester City Team News:
Roberto Mancini's side have been on a good run lately and are on winning streak of 3 matches. City have no players on the injury list and that means that Mancini will put his best eleven to face the 19 times English champions. Carlos Tevez has provided a huge boost to City since his return. He will look to score against his former side. Another player who will be tormenting the United defence will be Sergio Aguero whose pace and skills are very impressive. The midfield presumably will see a combination of the finesse of David Silva and the balance and strength of Yaya Toure. Barry will be playing as the sweeper as he has done most of the season. The back four expected are Clichy, Kompany, Lescott and Richards. However Mancini might employ Kolarov as left back to gain the advantage of his set piece skills. It is quite expected that City will be attacking with all their might as they don't have anything to lose. Revenge might be on their mind as the last time United visited Etihad they went on to win the tie.
Probable Lineup and Formation:
Manchester United Team News:
Manchester United will surely be eyeing sweet revenge after they were humiliated at their own home by their Noisy Neighbours. They win this match, they seal the title. They lose, then they just inflict more misery in their already bad season. United are looking quite good since the return of the veteran Paul Scholes winning all of their league games except for three. They must have thought of going into the derby with a 6 point lead but Everton came to spoil the party. Wayne Rooney will be the key player in this contest. We all know his capability to turn around a contest on its head. Welbeck will be expected to partner him after a good show last weekend. After a couple of impressive performances Nani is predicted to be taking up the left wing and it be usual business on the right wing with Antonio Valencia. Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick are surely to be occupying the center midfield. These two will also be very crucial. Evra, Ferdinand and Evans(slight doubt) are quite sure to be in the starting lineup. There will be some competition for the right back position after Rafael's disastrous performance against Everton. Smalling and Jones are the other alternatives for Sir Alex. However I feel Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov will be involved in this match. A draw will be a satisfactory result for the Red Devils and I expect them to sit deep and hit City on the counter.
Probable Lineup and Formation:
Manager Interviews:
Roberto Mancini: "I'm not nervous. Why should we be worried? When is the
squeaky-bum time? I don't know that phrase. We are at the top of the league and
have been there since the start of the season. This is where we want to be. Of
course, it's important to get on with your chairman and the owner. But the
owners at Manchester City are intelligent and they understand that to create a
winning team takes time."
Sir Alex Ferguson: You would have to be a
confirmed masochist to enjoy it (the derby). But we are looking forward to it
and the players will be fully prepared for it. We have not watched the games a
lot, but he (Carlos Tevez) scored a hat-trick. That is an impact. We will just
have to wait and see what he does on Monday."
Emotions will be high in this match so one might expect a lot of bookings. It will be very difficult for United. They will be totally under pressure. They have to win otherwise they face the famous Poznan from the City loyal. But one might never know what tricks Sir Alex has got under his sleeves.
Prediction: Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United
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