United Preview

Make no mistake, regardless of what they say, this is a massive game for both halves of Manchester. It has been almost 18 months since we suddenly became the richest club in the world, and we are, slowly becoming a club worthy of that moniker. However, change, particularly the sort of wholesale change expected in Abu Dhabi, takes time. Only the most foolhardy of fans expected instant success, but is it unrealistic to back us to reach a final at this stage of our development? Perhaps. Particularly when standing in our way over two legs are the red half of Manchester, the most successful English club over the last two decades. But I said this was an important game for both halves of Manchester, and it is. United are not as strong as they were last year. The crush of debt meant an £80m deal for Ronaldo was impossible to turn down, and they lost Carlos Tevez to us. Whilst replacements have been drafted in to an extent, no-one can argue that United are weaker now than when they lifted the Premier League trophy almost nine months ago. So this match, over two legs will act as a sort of litmus test in measuring our progress, and who better to measure against than our biggest and bitterest rivals?

If I am brutally honest, I am not overly optimistic. I think this game comes a month to early for us. We are still riddled with injuries, and have had only a month under Mancini. The display at Everton showed that maybe we had not moved forward quite as much as hoped. Some players were woefully absent from the game, and Manchester United will take no prisoners. A lot of our hopes will rest on the diminutive Carlos Tevez. It is clear this fixture means a lot to him- his effort against United earlier in the season was almost unmatched, and you will remember he was carrying an injury for that game.

Much has been said about what team SAF will put out tonight. The fact that the game is over two legs will I think have an effect on his choice. Whilst a couple of 'kids' could end up in the squad, I think it will be mostly squad players, such as Neville, Giggs (if fit) and Owen. United have there own injury worries, and this is probably their lowest priority. However I do not think SAF will accept letting us through to the final, and dependant on the result of the first leg, could play a stronger side at Old Trafford next week.

But regardless, we cannot worry too much about our opponents choices tonight. Our choices are limited as to who we can play. With Santa Cruz injured, I would expect Benjani to come in for him. I would not expect Bellamy to start, his injuries may rule him out. Petrov also came off after 45 minutes on Saturday, so he must be a question mark for the game. SWP should start, his cameo was one of the only bright sparks of an other wise dismal evening on Saturday. If Bellamy and Petrov are both unavailable though, who will take over on the left? One option would be Robinho, starting him in this game would be a big statement from Mancini, and would surely do wonders for his confidence. But can another no-show performance be risked? At the back, I would like to see Onuoha return if available, shifting Richards to right back instead of Zabaleta, and an other wise unchanged line up:

--------------Given------------
Richards--Onuoha--Kompany--Garrido
---------De Jong---Barry----------
SWP------------Tevez---------Bellamy/Petrov/Robinho
--------------Benjani--------------

Prediction: a narrow defeat, City 1 - 2 United