The big spending blues take on the champions in what could be their acid test in their quest to be in the big league. All the money pumped in could add to naught if the result is not in their favour. Of course if you are intending to break into the Top 4 you need to beat them. It will be an exciting game – and a very hard fought derby game to boot. It is not easy to pick a winner here. Man City will be geared to prove the blue side of Manchester as the better team – Yeah right!!
The pressure will be on Mark Hughes to put one over his mentor and the City boys will feel the heat from a partisan crowd at Old Trafford. He is missing his main strikers in this game and will look forward to Bellamy, Ireland and Barry to provide the impetus. I wonder if a certain Argentinean will grace the pitch!! On the contrary Sir Alex has his squad in place, the notable absentee being Rio at the back. Evans and Vidic will hold fort, well supported by Evra and Gary Neville. We will miss Scholes in midfield. Fletcher has matured tremendously in the past 2 years and will definitely start. The experience of Giggs will be vital in this game and I see him being the driving force in midfield.
Now, you may be wondering where I can catch this game. Fret no more! For details simply click this link - http://www.manutdmumbai.org/. The Manchester United Fan Club of Mumbai will be organising a screening for its fans at Dadar. So all you die-hard fans make a bee-line for Avon Ruby – that’s where it’s at. For registration simply log into the Fan Club’s forum on Orkut - http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Community?cmm=53483970
This is the only place you can catch the action live on a big screen with die-hard fellow Red Devils screaming and chanting till their throats go sore!!
Glory Glory Man United!!!!
Julien Menezes
Let’s see what this season has to offer – Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are favorites to stay on top of the heap. However, the lurkers will do well if they can manage to hold their nerve in the fag end of the league – Aston Villa, Everton and the big spending Manchester City may spring a surprise. Having said that, it’s for all to see if the ‘oil money’ of City can being them a Champions League berth, leave alone a grandstand finish! For all the wealth of talent they have managed to procure it remains to be seen how they perform as a team.
That brings us to our Favourite – Manchester United. Ronaldo – gone. Tevez – gone, no worries. Bigger names have left the club in the past under Sir Alex but that has not stopped United from winning trophies. He knows how to use the resources at hand and gets them to perform to their potential. The acquisition of Valencia is good. I feel the deal of the Season will be – Michael Owen. I was surprised by the move and feel Sir Alex has pulled one out of the bag here. Michael is a poacher and will get the goals we sorely missed last season. With inform Rooney up front and Berbatov around this time around United will surely pump in the goals.
United didn’t have the best start to their campaign and drew at home to Newcastle (now relegated), Darren Fletcher got the equalizer in that game. Fletcher has been huge this season, so has Giggs, Rio, Vidic, Rooney, Tevez, Evra…in fact the whole team. It would be difficult to single out 1 player as all have contributed in every game. How can one forget the Kiko Macheda, who won us the games in the business end of the season against Aston Villa and Sunderland? We all knew it would a tough act for Ronaldo to follow on his 2007-08 season where he swept away all the awards that were to be won. Even though he began playing late this season he almost won the golden boot alongside Anelka (tipped him off the post by scoring against Sunderland this Sunday). Well that’s chicken-feed compared to the prize he is aiming for at Rome.
Chelsea have been blowing hot and cold under Scolari and were never going to be a threat to United, by the time Hiddink was in charge it was all but over for the blues. Liverpool – were the main title rivals this season and were in the running till the New Year began. They were on top of the league in the year end (with United away on Club World Cup duty). However, all the cheer for Merseyside was brushed aside in the New Year when United went top of the table. From then on there was no looking back as United perched themselves firmly at the summit. 
What an amazing achievement, a hat-trick of trophies and a record equaling haul of trophies – 18! Liverpool has company, but the way I read it – its 11-0! Get a hold of that Merseyside. Sir Alex has no immediate plans of retirement and plans for no 19 are already in place. “Next year we are going for it again. It's a great side, a great squad. I could have picked two teams today. "..that’s Sir Alex Ferguson for you.
The Premier League has been grueling enough, what with the FA Cup, Carling Cup and Champions League games. United would have loved to relax a bit. But when you are Manchester United and when you have Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm, you stop at nothing. The finals was not a cake walk and Liga de Quito proved no push-over, which saw Nemanja Vidic see red, though 10 man United went on to win it by a solitary goal. 
A win nonetheless and another trophy in cabinet, a job well done and now back to the grind. Hey, hold on we are in the running for the Carling Cup too…After losing 1-0 to Derby in the Semi-final first leg, United romped home 4-2 at Old Trafford to set a date with Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham on March 1. The game was surprisingly goalless in the scheduled 90 minutes and even in extra time. It took a magnificent display by Ben Foster in goal to trump Tottenham 4-1 in the penalty shoot-out.
This is their 3rd League Cup and 3rd major trophy this season – Charity shield, Fifa World Club cup and the Carling cup. The class of 2008-09 is truly best of the best and they have many more goals to achieve. I must admit, it never felt so good being a United fan. 
