To use Mr Ferguson's words: "It is the most significant derby for a long time. It is the first time since I have been manager that we are facing City when they have a genuine chance of achieving something." This game is huge. Whether we like it or not, Ferguson is probably right. Being young enough not to have ever seen City near the top of the table, I am used to the "as long as we beat United" mentality being used as the marker for a good season. But this derby, for the fans, symbolises a shift in the times.
In our most glorious fantasies, United are now in decline (I saw one comment yesterday comparing them to the Liverpool side who won their last title in 1989-90 - "you wouldn't have thought that side had won their last title for over twenty years"), and City can play a part tomorrow in making for a 3rd/4th finish for the Manchester teams - in what could kick-off the start of the great shift in power. But it is early days, and the fact that Ferguson does now admit City's threat (albeit with a little glance at a fruitless recent past), at least shows that City are now being taken seriously amongst the "established top four", and that they, not neccessarily just United, are really beginning to worry about their future stranglehold on the English Premier League.
But for all this, remarkably, it is still just a game of football. Mancini has been at pains to emphasise that football is the main thing here. A win would help City consolidate fourth spot. 'Whilst putting a dent in United's title hopes', he didn't add. With the slightly unexpected success of Tottenham on Wednesday night, the pressure is back on, and for all the fickle press jumping and swaying with their predictions every week - pre-Burnley: "Tottenham are nailed on favourites" / post-Burnley: "it has to be City now" - there is still work to do.
City welcome back the first choice full-backs of Zabaleta and Bridge, and despite Onuoha's successful last two games, you would expect them both to return to the side - especially as United's main, and possibly only, threat from midfield comes from outwide. Ireland and Vieira also pass fit, but unless Mancini opts for a more cautious approach,then I think the prolific midfield and attacking eight will retain their positions. de Jong has presumably been spending his yellow-cards away in order to play this game.
Possible team, 4-4-2:
Given; Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Bridge; de Jong, Barry, Bellamy, Johnson; Tevez, Adebayor.
Mancini has predicted a history-defining 'fantastic' final month to the season and City will be going into the derby in the rare position of slight favourites to some. So if City pull off a monstrous "going for goals" victory, the press won't have to fall back on the "anything can happen in a derby" tag and rather appreciate that this "different" derby is the start of something new. That's the dream.
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