Manchester United v Fulham (Monday, March 26th)
Few will fancy Fulham to come away with even a point at Old Trafford tonight, the Cottagers avoiding defeat to Manchester United only once in 49 years. That came with a 3-1 victory in 2003 and the London club have been appalling at the Theatre of Dreams ever since.
It’s all about goal difference tonight. The shift in momentum towards Sir Alex Ferguson and co, that started with City’s defeat to Swansea, became even more pronounced when Peter Crouch decided to practice his ballet all over Joe Hart’s nice Saturday afternoon.
That shift will be complete if United score more than three tonight without response (Fulham only have eight away league goals all season anyway). Rooney, Welbeck, Hernandez, Young and Valencia are all fit and performing to their peak, so the least United can expect is to open up another three point gap.
Manchester United v QPR (Sunday, April 8th)
Mark Hughes going back to Old Trafford was plucked of its needle the second he was ushered out of the Eastlands back door, while United will surely have put Blackburn back in their box six days earlier, so this doesn’t look like all that significant a step in the title race.
It does offer United the chance to influence affairs at the Emirates later that afternoon, however, as City take on a resurgent Arsenal. The Gunners are not exactly nipping at the heels of the Manchester clubs, currently lying 12 points behind, and their battle remains with Spurs and Chelsea for the Champions League.
Still… still… if Arsenal win their own clash with the Hoops this weekend they will be looking for their eighth Premier League win in a row, and City’s lack of title-seeking experience could see them battered after the bruising of an expected United win over QPR at lunchtime.
Arsenal v Manchester City (Sunday, April 8th)
All of that being said, Arsenal’s run must end some time and it’s more likely to be City to take the scalp than anyone else. Of the players to have leaked north from the Gunners in the past couple of seasons, Samir Nasri in particular will hope that his resurgence peaks with a good showing in London.
The title will not be won or lost six weeks or so before the end of the season but City, should they put a stop to Arsene Wenger’s winning streak, will desperately need three points to keep up with the Joneses.
Of course, when you look at the attacking talent — van Persie, Silva, Tevez, Balotelli, Walcott, Nasri, Gervinho, Aguero and Dzeko — that will likely be on display, you just know it’s going to end up as a scoreless draw, if only to vex the gods of the Sky Sports promo department.
Manchester United v Everton (Sunday, April 22nd)
United had better hope Javier Hernandez is playing — Chicharito has scored the winner in 1-0 victories over the Toffees in two of the last three league encounters — with the other seeing United snatch a draw from the jaws of victory in September 2010, Everton scoring twice in stoppage time to earn a 3-3 draw.
These games are always tight and you get the impression that David Moyes loves pitting his wits against the 70-year-old version of himself in the United dugout.
Every Manchester United v Everton game, whether at Old Trafford or Goodison Park, seems like a Moyes audition for the top job in English club football and that makes the Merseysiders a perilous visitor to Old Trafford.
Darron Gibson for a late winner, anyone?
Manchester City v Manchester United (Monday, April 30th)
Nothing to see here.
Imagine the hysteria – Jamie Redknapp’s trousers threatening to cut the blood supply off to his face, montages set to lairy Oasis anthems, interviews with everyone from Terry Christian to Terry Duckworth.
Being over a month away it’s pointless to talk about tactics, discuss line-ups or get even the slightest bit forensic, but one thing is assured – the fewer points there are between the two sides in the days leading up to the match, the louder Jim White‘s voice will get.
Meanwhile, apropos of absolutely nothing…
YouTube credit: BBC
