This Saturday lunchtime's showdown between Manchester United and 'noisy neighbours' City is the most eagerly-awaited derbies for years
Decades even.
Two evenly matched teams boasting a myriad of world class stars are sure to put on a show for a packed Old Trafford crowd.Â
And the millions of TV viewers who will be glued to their sets from 12.30 onwards before many head off to watch their own teams in action.
Pubs will be packed, the papers will be full of interviews from both camps, news and views of the mass media - and opinions galore from pundits and former players.
No doubt, many of whom will have worn either the red of United or the blue of City who will be asked to recall great Manchester derbies of the past.
There have been some great ones since the first in 1881 - and a lot for the current mobs to live up to - but there's something different about this latest encounter.
And there are two main reasons for that - namely Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola; two of the most feted managers on the planet.
PFA chief Gordon Taylor said recently that Manchester is 'the centre of the football universe'
A bit over-the-top, perhaps, but it will be for 90 minutes this Saturday.
We are all fascinated to see, so soon into their respective reigns, how much of their own personal stamp Jose and Pep have been able to put on their new sides.
Both tactical geniuses; both with a wealth of experience of these sort of occasions - notably in Spain where they clashed in La Liga's version of the Manchester derby.
Everyone will have an opinion and a prediction on the outcome, like Sky pundit Graeme Souness who knows a thing or two about massive derbies from his Liverpool and Rangers days, as a player and a manager.
Speaking on Talksport, Souness is forecasting that Mourinho to come out on top in his first Manchester derby meeting with Guardiola.Souness said: “I think Man United at home will edge it.
“City, I’m not sure if all the players are grasping want the manager wants right now - that might take a bit of time
IÂ’m just thinking the firepower Man United have might be the difference
And with Sergio Aguero not being there he is a worldy for City - and when he doesn’t play the stats are very different."
* There'll be plenty more to come on the game of the weekend in England here on football.co.uk in the build-up to the game - and we'll be focussing on 'the big one' in Scotland too: Celtic v Rangers.
Source : DSG
Source: DSG