SOME FACTS :-
- Manchester United has won its last seven games in a row in all competitions.
- Today's match is expected to be the highest ever attendance for a Manchester derby, with a 90,000 sell-out crowd beating the previous best of 78,000 recorded in 1947 at Maine Road.
- Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby played on the losing side of both an FA Cup semi-final and FA Cup final before winning the Cup for Manchester City in 1934.
- City have won the FA Cup four times, in 1904, 1934, 1956 and 1969, and last appeared in the final in 1981.
- Roberto Mancini's side have not won a major domestic trophy in 35 years, with their last silverware being the 1976 League Cup.
- In contrast, Manchester United have won the FA Cup 11 times, five of those successes coming under Sir Alex Ferguson's watch.
- Ryan Giggs is the most decorated player in English football's history, having won the Premier League 11 times, the FA Cup four times, the League Cup three times and the Champions League twice.
- Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko has failed to score in nine Premier League appearances since his January move from Wolfsburg but has scored twice in the FA Cup, both against Notts County.
- The two sides have met 157 times in all competitions, with the red half of Manchester picking up 65 wins to the blue's 42, and City have won only two of their six encounters in the FA Cup.
- The last time the teams met in this competition was in February 2004, when Gary Neville was sent off in a Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy inspired 4-2 rout at Old Trafford.
United have a 5-2 edge in FA Cup meetings between the two sides, but City fans will point towards the fact that all of the Red Devils' wins came on home turf. Surprisingly, the two sides have never met at Wembley, but they did contest a semi-final at Bramall Lane way back in 1926, with City emerging victorious 3-0. The two teams faced off in an enthralling Carling Cup semi-final last season when an injury time Wayne Rooney goal handed United a 4-3 win on aggregate. There is no love lost between these two sides and with an FA Cup final up for grabs, a real battle can be expected on Saturday.
Manchester City
The Blues are in the midst of a mini-crisis following their 3-0 hammering at the hands of Liverpool earlier this week. Tottenham Hotspur now have the chance to draw level with City in 4th place if they win their game in hand. To add insult to injury, City also lost their talismanic captain Carlos Tevez to a hamstring injury at Anfield on Monday and Roberto Mancini on Thursday confirmed that the striker will be out for up to four weeks. There was one positive news on the injury front as Micah Richards has returned to full training earlier than expected.
The FA Cup offers the under-fire Mancini a last chance of redemption and more importantly offers City a great chance to finally end their 35 year trophy drought. In fact, the game on Saturday will be City's first FA Cup semi-final since 1981 and what better way to mark the occasion than by defeating the side that you aim to overtake. But one must wonder as to where the goals are going to come from in the absence of Tevez. The support cast of Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and Jo have a combined total of 17 goals between them, five goals less than Tevez's tally of 22.
The side have picked up points against the lower sides but have struggled against established opponents, especially away from home. In fact, they haven't registered an away victory in the Premier League since overturning Newcastle 3-1 at St.James' Park on Boxing Day. A loss on Saturday might deflate the whole side and have further repercussions in the League. The 4th and final Champions League spot is still up for grabs and with Spurs still to visit the City of Manchester Stadium, the Blue half of Manchester cannot afford to lose its nerve at this vital stage of the season.
Manchester United
The Red Devils are riding high on confidence after they brushed aside Chelsea 3-1 over two legs in the Champions League. The Red Devils were at their composed best against the Blues, with all their big game players coming to the fore at the right time. With a place in the Champions League semi-final now secure, they turn their attention towards the third trophy in their quest of the treble, the FA Cup. The eleven time winners haven't won the trophy since 2004 and are long overdue a good cup run.
United will of course be without Wayne Rooney for the game, as he is sidelined with a two-game suspension for the outburst at Upton Park. It's a blow for the striker who, in the past few weeks, has begun to regain the confidence of old. United have plenty of cover in that department though with Dimitar Berbatov, Javier Hernandez and Michael Owen all fighting for places. With the arrival of Hernandez, United finally have a forward who can stretch opposition defences with his pace, something they have clearly lacked since the departure of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. It's no coincidence that the side have come into its own over the past month with Hernandez as a regular starter, thus allowing Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick to strike form at the right time.
United have a maximum of eleven games remaining in the season, with blockbuster ties against Arsenal and Chelsea in the League, a Champions League semi-final against Schalke and the possibility of two final appearances at Wembley. Sir Alex Ferguson might tone down the talk of a treble but the fact that United are even in the running for trophies on three fronts during a transitional season is a testament to the club, manager and players.
Head-to-Head:
12th Feb, 2011: Man Utd 2-1 Man City
10th Nov, 2010: Man City 0-0 Man Utd
Form Guide:
Manchester City: LWLWW
11th April, 2011: Liverpool 3-0 Man City
3rd April, 2011: Man City 5-0 Sunderland
20th March, 2011: Chelsea 2-0 Man City
17th March, 2011: Man City 1-0 Dynamo Kiev (Europa League)
13th March, 2011: Man City 1-0 Reading (FA Cup)
Manchester United: WWWWW
12th April, 2011: Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea (Champions League)
9th April, 2011: Man Utd 2-0 Fulham
6th April, 2011: Chelsea 0-1 Man Utd (Champions League)
2nd April, 2011: West Ham 2-4 Man Utd
19th March, 2011: Man Utd 1-0 Bolton
Probable Line Ups:
Manchester City (4-3-3): Hart (Gk), Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov, Yaya Toure, Barry, De Jong, Johnson, Dzeko, Silva
Mancini is expected to line up in a typically circumspect formation with the three holding midfielders protecting the back four. Joe Hart will have a busy day in goal and so will the full backs, Micah Richards and Aleksandar Kolarov. Vincent Kompany has been inspirational in central defence and he should be partnered by Jolean Lescott. Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong will play the deepest in midfield with Yaya Toure expected to make the odd foray into the opponent's box. David Silva is a vital player in a creative sense and he should start down the left with Adam Johnson and James Milner fighting for the right midfield slot. Up front, Balotelli can be a threat but its unlikely that Mancini will trust the petulant striker for such a big occasion, so expect Dzeko to play as the lone striker.
Manchester United (4-4-2): Van der Sar (Gk), Rafael, Vidic, Smalling, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Scholes, Nani, Berbatov, Hernandez
Sir Alex has a very strong squad of players to choose from as he is bound to make changes to his line up following the travails of the Champions League game. Edwin van der Sar has struggled with injuries recently and was safeguarded for the Chelsea games by being rested for the League games, but the tall Dutchman should be fit enough to guard the goal on Saturday with Thomasz Kuszczak the back up keeper. Rafael da Silva was expected to make a comeback for the game on Tuesday but the Brazilian didn't resume to full training in time for the game, but should be ready for Wembley on Saturday.
Elsewhere in defence, Rio Ferdinand struggled with a thigh injury during the game against Chelsea and might be rested for this one, with Chris Smalling expected to partner Nemanja Vidic in the centre. United have been hampered by the absence of Darren Fletcher through a viral infection, so Paul Scholes is expected to come in alongside the imperious Carrick. Nani and Valencia provide Sir Alex with plenty of options down the wings with Berbatov and Chicharito the expected combination up front. If Sir Alex decides to go with five in midfield, Anderson or Ji Sung Park can come in for one of the strikers.
Guru's Prediction : "MANCHESTER UNITED"
