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What a game we have in prospect here with the great Manchester rivals of City & United clashing in what definitely could be one of the games of the season.

The local derby element has always dictated that these two clubs are fierce rivals but now this fixture means so much more because Manchester City are aiming to reach the incredibly high standards set by Manchester United and so this is so much more than just about getting to a cup final.

This semi final first leg represents the first opportunity for the great players of Manchester City & Manchester United to show who can earn the right to claim not only the local bragging rights for fans but also to make a statement to the footballing world.

Manchester United have the motivation of wanting to defend the trophy the fought hard to win last year & the opportunity to beat Manchester City along the way is something that should inspire them to give absolutely everything here.

Alex Ferguson knows that Manchester United cannot afford to lose this tie against Manchester City & especially after being beaten by Leeds United in the F.A. Cup so we are expecting a really fierce & committed response from the Manchester United players in this one.

Manchester United’s form has been inconsistent in recent weeks & admittedly they were not at their fluent best against Burnley but that 3-0 win should further boost confidence levels within the squad ahead of this match.

Alex Ferguson has used this competition to rotate his squad by resting most of the first team & but this is such a massive game that we fully expect Alex Ferguson to field the strongest possible side in this one

Manchester City have made it clear that their ambitions are to get into the Champions League & to win the Premier League but this opportunity to win a domestic cup & knock out their arch rivals is a massive opportunity for them to make their mark.

Roberto Mancini is still settling in as Manchester City manager & indeed it will take him some time to get used to english football & certainly the defeat against Everton will have given a much need wake up call as to what can be expected.

The first few weeks of Roberto Mancini’s career at Manchester City had gone very smoothly with successive wins against Stoke City, Middlesbrough, Wolves & Blackburn Rovers & everything looked comfortable for him but the manner of the performance & result against Everton changes all that & puts it all into context.

That match against an in-form & confident Everton side was Mancini’s first real test & it is a test that the Manchester city players failed in spectacular fashion.

Manchester City never got going in the match, unable to match Everton’s commitment, desire, work-rate & quality and quite simply they were outplayed in every department & only Shay Given prevented it from becoming a more convincing defeat.

Roberto Mancini will be looking for an immediate response to that performance & clearly this massive game against arch rivals Manchester United is an excellent opportunity to do that.

The Manchester City players should have no trouble getting motivated for this match & especially ex Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez who will be determined to score against his old team.

Both Manchester City & Manchester United have shown a tendency to be fragile defensively so far this season & given the attacking quality in both squads we are expecting this to be an incredibly competitive but open match and goals do look likely to come at both ends.

The perfect example of what to expect came earlier in the season when Manchester United & Manchester City fought out the best game of the season so far with United winning 4-3 with an incredibly late goal.

That game had absolutely everything with great attacking football, excellent goals, incredibly competitive tackling & also fragile defending so the prospect are definitely for the same again here.

This has got the prospects of being one of the most entertaining & competitive games of the season given the importance of this match to both Manchester City & Manchester United and that makes it hard to call but we like the look of Manchester United in this one & they look a value bet to get a vital win.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Manchester United to win

Correct Score options: Manchester United to win 2-1/3-1

First goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Rooney/Berbatov/Valencia

Scorecast options: Rooney/Berbatov/Valencia score 1st & Man United win 2-1/3-1

Double Result: Man United Half Time & Full Time