Ladies and Gentlemen, we are at the time of year again. When the big dogs enter the FA Cup and when the underdogs are given a chance to shine. Yes it's FA Cup 3rd round time.
If you haven't seen the draw already, then there is one big tie which I don't think any self-respecting football fan would want to miss: Manchester City vs Manchester United. Weirdly, I had a feeling that this fixture would occur in the earlier stages rather than the later stages of the FA Cup. It just seemed inevitable.
While I remain a dedicated "Gooner" I still look on this tie as the most exciting of all the third round ties. A clash of cultures meeting once again after the 6-1 destruction by Man City earlier in the season, what better opportunity to get vengeance than in the FA cup, especially as City are the holders. I believe that Man Utd will be taking this year's competition very seriously while Man City continue to dominate the Premier League as the last surviving unbeaten team. While Sir Alex Ferguson is most likely not thinking about vengeance as such, he definitely does not want to disappoint the United fans, and their Champions League position is far from certain, thus the FA cup is a competition in which Fergie should rate highly.
As for Mancini, I believe that the FA cup could be experimental, in which he can feel comfortable fielding a squad balanced with some youth and some experience. Against Arsenal in the Carling Cup, Mancini made 10 changes to the team the started against Liverpool, Samir Nasri being the only survivor. Although Sergio Aguero joined the game during the first half on Tuesday, many of Mancini's so called "2nd team" featured players with experience beyond many others in the Premier League, Hargreaves, Toure, Dzeko and De Jong for example. This puts Mancini in perhaps the best situation for any manager, but with all this choice comes responsibility. Manchester United will want to dominate the midfield as much as possible, and United's attack has great potential with the likes of Nani and Rooney. Of course it is a massive blow that they have lost Hernandez to an ankle injury, but if luck goes their way, United could have him back within four weeks - just in time for the FA cup. That attacking trio has proved to be one of the best around, and Hernandez completes it with his pace, his movement off the ball and his never-say-never attitude.
So, my prediction? Tricky to say the least, but due to City's unimaginable form of late, I feel I have no choice but to back them. Although Arsenal put up a good fight against City, who were perhaps fortunate not to concede, City responded well in what proved to be a difficult game - scoring a goal completely against the run of play. Therefore I would be surprised if they didn't beat United. But you never know in football, especially in the FA cup. Remember Barnsley's famous run 2008?
Score Prediction:
Manchester City 3-1 Manchester United
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