I’m looking forward to this game so much now as it really is all to play for after last weeks clash at the City of Manchester Stadium where we were basically robbed after Mike Dean gave an insane penalty to the homeside. The fans ought to be pumped for this derby and the atmosphere at Old Trafford on Wednesday night should be fantastic, a taste of what to expect for the visit of Milan in a few weeks perhaps? All we know for sure is that at 10.30 on Wednesday, we’ll know who will be packing their bags for Wembley and preparing for a Carling Cup final against Aston Villa.

Last Time Out

Hull City posed a small threat at Old Trafford and with 10 minutes to go were looking set for a credible 1-0 defeat. They had some rare threatening attacks which could have yielded equalisers throughout the game, but scorer of the first goal, Wayne Rooney managed to find the net three more times incredibly meaning he added his name to a list of players who have scored four times in one game for Manchester United. A small list with some big names. Rooney’s four goals made the game look extremely comfortable but it perhaps flattered us slightly. But at the end of the day its three more points added to our League tally and we won’t complain about. No major refereeing decisions, no bust ups, no injuries, no suspensions, no media madness…just what we needed after some horrific decisions against us of late. Read a full match report of the Hull City game here.

Our Line Up

Van Der Sar
Brown Ferdinand Evans Evra
Valencia Anderson Carrick Nani
Rooney Owen

The back five is boosted by the return of Rio Ferdinand and it really picks itself. The only place I’d be uncertain over would be the right back slot which could be filled by either Rafael or Brown, I’ve gone for the latter here.

In the middle of the park, Anderson and Carrick did well against City I thought are deserving of another run out against Mancini’s men. They’re both good passers and very good tacklers, two important qualities needed for this game I feel. Valencia is virtually unchallenged for the right wing position here and on the left I’d be inclined to give Nani a start after his performance at the weekend. Having said that, he’s on his way out of the club this summer I think.

Ferguson said he wouldn’t pair the two, but I don’t understand why Rooney and Owen can’t play alongside each other. Both had great chances late on at City last week and if they start you just know that there will be goals. Diouf could well start ahead of Rooney mind you leaving the Englishman on the bench but it would be a risky move.

Key Devil

Rooney is in red hot form here. Its been a fantastic season for him and he’s really stood out as a leader in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. Hopefully he hasn’t dried up his scoring after netting four last time out! I’d just love it if he showed the City fans where to go! If he plays from the start, he’ll score. There’s a quick punt for you. I know I’ll be putting a fiver on Rooney to score at any time – 4/1

The Opposition

City had one game between the two semi-final games and it was a 4-2 win in the FA Cup over S****horp United. They’ve been in decent form other then that with not much else to report considering its been only one week since we last played them. Tevez will be in need of some special attention because we don’t want him taunting the fans at Old Trafford.

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 five 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 the other three which were away from home at Maine Road/City of Manchester Stadium.

Keano’s Verdict

It’s such a tough game to call, but the home advantage is massive for us. Had we been going away 2-1 down then I’d be doubting our chances but since we’ve got home advantage, I’ll say…

Manchester United (3) 2-0 (2) Manchester City

Written by Keano