After a decent display against Burnley, we’re at least coming into this re-arranged Carling Cup semi-final first leg on the back of a win, whereas we were expecting to be playing the game after the loss to Leeds in the FA Cup.However, its clear for all to see that we aren’t clicking properly yet and there is still progress to be made. Add that with the fact that Mancini is going to want to claim his first big scalp, City will want revenge for the League meeting earlier in the season and the obvious one of intense rivalry, I predicting a very close game, and wouldn’t be surprised if we were trailing going into the return leg at Old Trafford.

Last Time Out

Burnely put up a spirited fight, and new manager Brian Laws will be pleased with the performance at Old Trafford and may even feel that they were point deserving at least. However, we managed to scrape past them with a flattering scoreline of 3-0 when in truth, Burnley spurned 3 very good chances, the best of which falling to David Nugent in the second half. It was great to see Berbatov and Rooney scoring as the front pair, and then the home debut goal from Mame Biram Diouf, a name which we can expect to see a lot more of. Tough game, nervy at times and quiet, but a win is a win and at this stage of the season its the most important thing to build the confidence for the run it.

Our Line Up

Van Der Sar
Rafael Brown Evans Fabio
Nani Gibson Anderson Obertan
Diouf Owen-

I was pleased to be correct in my prediction that Edwin Van Der Sar would return to action against Burnley, and he was impressive. So good to see the reliable Dutch stopper back between the sticks. For pure game time and fitness reasons, he should start this Carling Cup semi. As for the back four, I’d imagine Fabio and Rafael will play giving Evra and Neville a rest. Brown and Evans are solid too. There are a few murmurs that Rio Ferdinand could be fit for the game but its highly unlikely in my opinion.

In the middle, I will go with my instinct and say give Nani a start. He frustrates me just as much as the next United fan, but at the very least, he’ll prove he isn’t good enough. A Carling Cup semi is a good game for him and after his shocker at the weekend, I think his days are numbered, and along with the financial situation, he could see himself abroad next season. I’ll give him a run against City. Obertan and Gibson are two likely names on the teamsheet, although don’t be surprised if Ryan Giggs is elected to play in either position. Anderson is the final piece of the quartet that I’d have.

Rooney and Berbatov can have a relaxing evening as Owen and Diouf are my two up front. Diouf has made a good start to his United career so lets hope he can keep it going. As for Owen, he just needs games and he will score goals. How he’d love to be the thorn in City’s side once again!

Key Devil

If Michael Owen starts, he’ll be crucial to our chances in this first leg. He’s shown he still has the ability in the games he has played in. If the right ball is played into him, you know he’ll be making the right run so all he needs is the finish, and that comes with game time.

The Opposition

Under new management, City wobbled last time out, as they lost 2-0 away to Everton in the League. Prior the loss, City had gone on a 5 game winning streak in all comps. conceding 5 times in the process. Carlos Tevez is in fine form for City and he’d just love to score against his former team mates and manager. I wouldn’t bet against it to be honest. A daunting stat for us United fans to consider is that City haven’t lost a single game at The City Of Manchester Stadium so far this season. Can we change that?

Keano’s History Lesson

Everyone can account for great and terrible meetings with Man City in both the League and FA Cup in the years gone by. But what about the lesser competition, in the Carling Cup/League Cup? Well, we’ve only met four times in this competition thus far. We’ve only won one game (at Old Trafford), we drew another (at Old Trafford), and finally, we lost both of the last two which were away from home at Maine Road. The last one of these clashes was in 1975 when City came out on the right side of a 4-0 scoreline. With the last League Cup meeting between the sides so long ago, I think its about time we beat them away from home.

Keano’s Verdict

This will be a tough game for us, and despite trying to look at all the pros, the cons weigh against them in my head and I’m regrettably going to say

Manchester City 3-1 Manchester United

Written by Keano