Posted on 16 Apr 2011 at 06:36 AM by
pjmar
Man City vs Man United is one of the most hotly
anticipated FA Cup semi finals in
years. Man City are eager to show
that they truly are a threat to Man
United while Man United want to remain on course for their second treble.
It's sure to be 90 minutes of high drama at Wembley Stadium.
Man City (5/2
to beat Man United)
have been something of an enigma this season. At their worst Man City are
downright poor, as was the case earlier this week against Liverpool. But at
other times, in the recent 5-0 win against Sunderland for example, they display
great skill and attacking potential. There are occasions where they can be the
boring, ultra-defensive Man City that stems from Roberto Mancini's Serie A
background and they also have a wreckless, unpredictable streak in them thanks
to volatile players such as Mario
Balotelli and Nigel De Jong. As
such it is almost impossible to predict which Man City will turn up at Wembley
on Saturday afternoon.
Man City's
desire should be in little doubt. This is a huge fixture that, if they win,
could put a much brighter complexion on their season. Man City have the chance
to reach the club's first FA Cup final since 1981 and knocking their fierce
rivals out of the competition at the same time makes it an opportunity they
will relish even more.
The absence of Carlos Tevez is a big loss though. He
has scored more goals this season (22) than Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and Jo combined. They have other attacking threats in the form of David
Silva and Adam Johnson but finding the net could prove to be the problem.
Man United
(11/10
to beat Man City) have an historic second treble in their sights.
They haven't convinced everybody this season but, even if they haven't played
the "best football", the fact remains that Man United are the team
seven points clear in the league and in two major semi finals. Perhaps the edge
they possess that has got them into the position is their irrepressible will to
win and the ability to perform in the biggest matches.
In their last
nine appearances in FA Cup semi finals Man United have progressed to the final
on eight occasions. Experience is certainly an edge that Man United have over
their city rivals. They also have the advantage in recent fixtures winning six
of the last eight against Man City.
Missing
talismans are a feature for both sides in this match though as just like Carlos
Tevez misses out for Man City, Wayne Rooney
will be absent for Man United. Rooney has been in fine form recently,
notably dragging Man United from 2-0 down against West Ham to a 4-2 win. Dimitar Berbatov looks set to replace
Rooney, but will a lack of time on the pitch recently affect the Bulgarian's
performance?