Manchester Derby: Bragging rights and third place on offer

United are the form side but City have the upper hand in recent derbies

LONDON: Louis van Gaal's increasingly confident Manchester United will look to twist the knife in Manchester City's side when the derby rivals clash in Sunday's Premier League showdown at the Old Trafford.

A run of five consecutive victories has taken United above City for the first time this season and another success this weekend would further blacken the storm clouds gathering over the Etihad Stadium.

City's 2-1 loss at Crystal Palace on Monday left them nine points behind leaders Chelsea having played a game more, effectively ending their title defence, and they now face a battle to secure a Champions League place.

Fourth in the table, Manuel Pellegrini's team enjoy a seven-point lead over fifth-place Liverpool, but both Arsenal and United have stolen a march on them in the race for automatic Champions League qualification.

"I dream of it. Every player shall dream of the victory," said van Gaal, whose side are a point above City in third place.

However, the Dutchman believes the importance of the tie lies in its effect on the league table. "You want to win because it is a big step in the table also,” he said. "When you win, third place is reachable and a month ago nobody was thinking about that; besides me, of course."

After five losses in seven games for his side, City manager Pellegrini has found himself the subject of media speculation that his days at the Etihad are already numbered.

But although defeat at van Gaal's hands would further weaken the Chilean's position, there is reason for optimism in City's recent derby record.

Victory would give City five straight league wins against United for the first time and they have won on their last three visits to Old Trafford, scoring 11 goals.

"I think that they have a lot of respect for us — in the last few years we have dominated the derby and the Premier League," said Pellegrini. "The derby gives the game an extra boost. I hope that not only the intensity is high, but the quality too, for the fans.”

City prevailed 3-0 at United last season and won this season's reverse fixture 1-0 in November but will be wary of the threat posed by Wayne Rooney, who is the leading scorer in the fixture with 11 goals.

The United captain has scored six times in his last eight club games and his stunning snapshot in last weekend's 3-1 defeat of Aston Villa took him to within one goal of Denis Law's United league tally of 171.

 

Mourinho wants title wrapped up

Jose Mourinho has challenged his league-leading Chelsea to surge to the finish line in the title race as they prepare for a London derby against QPR.

A victory at Loftus Road this weekend would move them another step closer to being crowned English champions for the first time since 2010.

The Blues need 15 points from their remaining eight matches to guarantee the title and Mourinho is keen to get the trophy wrapped up as soon as possible.

“Now it's just five victories or four victories and two draws,” said Mourinho. “The points we get against QPR improve our situation.”

With struggling QPR, currently third bottom and two points from safety, equally desperate for the points, there is certain to be a frenzied atmosphere for Mourinho's first-ever visit to Loftus Road.

But the Chelsea boss tried to play down suggestions the game will be even feistier due to the presence of captain John Terry, who will make only his second appearance at Loftus Road since being banned for four matches and fined by the Football Association for racially abusing then QPR defender Anton Ferdinand in October 2011.

Ferdinand's brother Rio, who plays for QPR, branded Terry an idiot over the affair, but a potentially awkward meeting has been averted by the ex-Manchester United defender's injury.

 

 

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.