Fergie:
"But we have Ruud van Nistelrooy back tomorrow (Sunday) and he has an amazing strike rate in his three-and-a-half seasons with the club.
"I can only think of one handful of bad misses he has had. It is an incredible strike rate.
"And I am delighted for Louis Saha getting off the mark against Palace in midweek. He is lightning-quick, a handful for anyone. We have options.
"I know what my strike partnership will be tomorrow and hopefully they can finish off the football we have been playing.
"In these situations you hope that the breaks will start going your way. At the moment we don't seem to be carrying that bit of luck near the box.
"Last week we had two clear penalty kicks turned down, had two shots cleared off the line, and we missed a couple of good chances.
"But, in my experience these breaks even themselves out, hopefully that will turn in our favour soon and our season will be underway again.
"Our performance levels are good. Last week for 25 minutes we had 82 percent of the possession and overall we had 67 percent in the game. That is unbelievable - there has never been a derby where we have had that kind of possession of the ball.
"We can't do better than that in terms of possession, all we need is that little break in front of goal.
Fergie to fine St Nick of Gorton:
"I will fine him if he passes to a black and white jersey.
"Seriously though Nicky was a great player here and a great character. We miss him in the dressing room.
"It was a good move for him career-wise. I got a text from him the other day and he seems to have settled in well.
"It is a real football stadium and the fans are really passionate. (Ed.8,878 against Swindon in 1992?)
"There have been great scoring games there over the years.
"Newcastle are an attacking team and the matches at the ground tend to be entertaining."
One-Medal:
"This is one game that never needs any hype.
"Newcastle United versus Manchester United, whether it's at St James' Park or Old Trafford, more often than not produces goals and I cannot see this game being any different.
"I hope I'm not putting the kiss of death on the game by saying this, but I'm sure it will be a cracker."
From The BBC:
Newcastle midfielder Nicky Butt is a slight doubt for the visit of his former club.
Butt suffered mild concussion in the midweek game with Chelsea, but Stephen Carr could return after a five-game absence with a knee problem.
Man Utd striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will return to the side after serving a three match ban.
United will hope the Dutchman can solve their goal drought after netting just 11 times in 12 league games.
Newcastle (from): Given, Harper, Carr, Hughes, Bernard, Elliott, O'Brien, Bramble, Johnsen, Butt, Bowyer, Jenas, Robert, Dyer, Milner, Ambrose, Shearer, Bellamy, Kluivert, Ameobi.
Man Utd (from): Carroll, Howard, Ricardo, G Neville, P Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Brown, O'Shea, Heinze, Fortune, Ronaldo, Bellion, Keane, Scholes, Djemba-Djemba, Kleberson, Fletcher, Giggs, Van Nistelrooy, Rooney, Saha, Smith.
Weather:
9°C, sunny spells then dark when the match starts