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1/27 20:00 GMT Manchester City at Manchester United – Odds | Stats
After a week full of trash talk and controversy, the Carling Cup semifinal second leg could not come fast enough. Manchester United hosts city rivals Manchester City Wednesday evening at Old Trafford. There are certainly not a lack of storylines for this one. The Gary Neville – Carlos Tevez middle finger saga, Tevez sticking it to his old club, Robinho about to be loaned. The list goes on… Just make sure you tune into this one folks. I have a feeling you won’t want to miss it.
Manchester City:
The Citizens, under new boss Roberto Mancini, have been quite exceptional winning all their matches other than their recent 2-0 falter to Everton last weekend at Goodison Park. They probably owe a majority, if not all, of the credit that is due to former Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez who has been extraordinary in picking up the goal scoring slack as Emmanuel Adebayor attended to his Togolese National Team duties for the African Nations Cup. Tevez truly seems to show up when City needs him most and as he makes his return to Old Trafford, don’t expect to see anything different. On the flip side of things, star Brazilian forward Robinho has been in the news a lot recently amidst his lack of form and especially now being linked with a loan deal to Brazilian clubs Sao Paulo or his former clubs Santos. He did however score in City’s recent 4-2 FA Cup win over Scunthorpe United so hopefully that will get the world class talent back on track. Mancini says Robinho will be available although it is uncertain whether or not he will see the pitch. In other news, Adebayor and Kolo Toure are scheduled to return from the African Nations Cup. Toure is expected to play while Adebayor will likely be on the bench as he is not yet fit from being away on compassionate leave after the attack on the Togolese Team bus in Africa. Also expected to be unavailable from injuries are Wayne Bridge, Michael Johnson, and Joleon Lescott (all knee injuries), as well as Roque Santa Cruz and newly acquired Patrice Vieira (both calf).
Manchester United:
Manchester United made big strides this week by recapturing the top spot in the Premiership table (or at least for the time being) after their 4-0 defeat of Hull City. Perhaps it’s better described as “Rooney’s 4-0 defeat” seeing as the Wonderboy scored all 4 goals but who’s counting? Anyways, they seem to be hitting stride just as they always do this time of year and they’ll get a chance to show it as they gun for their first trophy of the decade. The big stir in the past 7 days has of course been about Gary Neville’s obscene gesture that was directed towards Carlos Tevez after the Argentine scored and proceeded to give the United bench the “Shhhhh” signal. I don’t know about you guys but I’m pretty sure Gary Neville is like 60 years old and I’m definitely sure he was sitting on the bench so I’m not sure what the hell he’s running his mouth for but whatever. At least it gives us something fun to talk about. It has certainly added to the storyline and given Sir Alex an extra barrage of questions to answer so for that Gary, I thank you. The good news for Fergie, however, is that he is heading into Wednesday’s showdown with what appears to be a full and healthy lineup. The only question mark is with Rio Ferdinand who featured for his first time in three months against Hull City only to receive a red card and a violent charge from the FA after clashing with Craig Fagan. Other than, full green light for the Red Devils.
Match Facts:
- Manchester United are the defending Carling Cup champions (sorry, forgot to mention that..)
- Manchester City has only lost 2 of their previous 21 matches in all competitions
- Sir Alex Ferguson has advanced to the League Cup finals 6 out of 7 semifinal appearances
Prediction:
After last week’s Tevez-Neville dispute, the FA is anticipating a rowdy crowd and has called for extra police assistance in anticipation of any fan related issues. Not that Old Trafford won’t be rocking already but this is evidence that it’s going to be a special night. This certainly does not play to City’s advantage. They are up 2-1 heading into the 2-legged match so a 1-0 defeat would be the end of them on away goals. With all this buzz surrounding the match, I just think United at home will be too much for the Citizens to handle. But with Tevez the Bulldog playing like he is, anything is possible.
Pick:
Manchester United 2 – 1 Manchester City
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