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| Friday, November 8, 2002 20:33 EST |
Middlesbrough will try to stop league-leading Liverpool
[Reuters]
MANCHESTER, England -- The game every
Manchester soccer fan used to look forward to more than any
other -- the derby -- has become something to dread for the blue
half of the city.
Manchester City has won just one of its last 26 meetings
with United, a run stretching back more than 20 years, and the club
goes into Saturday's clash, the last ever league derby at Maine
Road, in some disarray.
Manager Kevin Keegan announced that the club was not big
enough for him to put out a reserve team in Tuesday's League Cup
third round clash with Wigan, then watched his first XI beaten
1-0 by the team's second division neighbors.
To rub salt into the wound, City lost center halves Sylvain
Distin and Steve Howey to injuries. Howey has vowed to play in
the lunchtime kickoff with pain-killers if a scan reveals no
bone damage in his foot but Frenchman Distin is definitely out
with a hamstring strain.
Tuesday's defeat was particularly disappointing for City
after the club had won successive away games in the premier league
to lift confidence after a poor start.
Keegan was forced to accept that his cavalier approach was
just too high-risk for the premier league and since replacing
the creative touch of Ali Benarbia with the more muscular
midfield talents of Australian Danny Tiatto, teams are finding
the team less of a soft touch.
Howey, who scored City's goal in the 1-1 Old Trafford draw
in the last derby in April 2001, when United had already
clinched the championship and City was heading for relegation,
says that with or without him, City can win.
"We know they can be beaten and we know we are capable of
it," he said.
"Only a few weeks ago everyone thought Arsenal were
invincible then they lost four on the trot so we are certainly
not worried about reputations."
City goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has been passed fit for Saturday's
derby against his old club to give his manager
Kevin Keegan a much-needed boost.
Schmeichel, who spent eight seasons at Old Trafford, has
missed the last three games with a knee problem but Keegan said
the 38-year-old Dane had trained for the last two days and was a
certain starter.
United are also missing some big names with their midfield
badly hit. Nicky Butt is injured, David Beckham suspended and
Roy Keane injured and suspended. England defender Phil Neville
will again take on the responsibility of the midfield anchor
role.
"It will be a massive challenge," said Neville. "My job will
be to provide the platform to allow Paul Scholes and Juan
Sebastian Veron to play."
United have been below their best in recent weeks and
another failure to collect maximum points could allow Liverpool
to stretch its premier league lead to dangerous proportions.
However, longer term form suggests a United victory as they
have won nine of the teams' 11 premier league meetings, drawing
the other two.
Their last clash was a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in April
2001 which featured Keane's infamous tackle on Alf Inge Haaland,
the consequences of which are still being felt locally with
Keane fined and banned for writing about it in his
autobiography.
With City moving to the former Commonwealth Games stadium at
the end of the season, Saturday's match will be the last league
derby between the two rivals at Maine Road.
City fans would love to sign off after almost 80 years with
a repetition of its last victory, the famous 5-1 thrashing of
1989, but the new streetwise Keegan would probably settle for a
point.
Other Premiership matches this weekend (league positions in parentheses):
Saturday
MIDDLESBROUGH (9) v LIVERPOOL (1)
Liverpool will be looking to extend its four-point lead at
the top of the premier league when the club visits the Riverside.
Striker Michael Owen should shrug off a calf injury and defender
Jamie Carragher should also be fit despite a groin strain.
Middlesbrough has had a dip in form of late but manager
Steve McClaren quit his job in the English national team set-up
last week to concentrate his mind fully on his club duties.
Defender Robbie Stockdale aggravated a heel injury in
Wednesday's League Cup defeat at Ipswich and is likely to be
replaced by Craig Dove. French fullback Franck Queudrue is
suspended but striker Alen Boksic (flu) may return.
ARSENAL (2) v NEWCASTLE UNITED (8)
An Arsenal side made up mainly of reserves went down 3-2 to
Sunderland in the League Cup on Wednesday, but Thierry Henry et
al will return as the champions look to get their season back on
track.
Midfielder Robert Pires and Giovanni van Bronckhorst both
played a full 90 minutes against Sunderland and should feature,
but defender Martin Keown will be unavailable for selection
after suffering a setback in his recovery from a hamstring
injury.
Newcastle can still include defender Stevie Caldwell,
despite his dismissal in the League Cup tie against Everton,
which United lost on penalties. But the club will be missing French
winger Laurent Robert who fractured a cheekbone during the tie,
and striker Craig Bellamy who is troubled by a knee injury.
ASTON VILLA (15) v FULHAM (11)
Villa finally got some goals in its 3-0 midweek League Cup
victory at Oxford United, but the club's strikers must produce the
goods in the premier league if the team is to stay out of the
relegation dogfight. Villa has scored just seven league goals
this season.
Fulham will be playing its fourth game in 10 days and
Japan's World Cup hero Junichi Inamoto may start in midfield
after Frenchman Steed Malbranque picked up a knock against
Arsenal last week.
BOLTON WANDERERS (20) v WEST BROMWICH ALBION (19)
Danish midfielder Stig Tofting, whose contract is to be
terminated next June after he was sentenced to four months in
jail for assault, returns to the Bolton squad.
Albion defender Phil Gilchrist is fighting to overcome an
ankle injury, while skipper Derek McInnes looks likely to shrug
off a bout of flu. Striker Danny Dichio (back) is doubtful.
West Brom is looking for its first league win in six matches,
Bolton has not won in its last seven.
CHELSEA (4) v BIRMINGHAM CITY (12)
Chelsea should welcome back strike partners Eidur Gudjohnsen
and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink after ankle and groin injuries ruled
them out of their League Cup win in midweek.
Birmingham defenders Darren Purse and Matt Sadler are likely
to miss the game because of knee and calf injuries respectively,
but Robbie Savage will be back after sitting out Tuesday's
League Cup tie.
EVERTON (6) v CHARLTON ATHLETIC (16)
All eyes at Goodison Park will again be on 17-year-old
striker Wayne Rooney. Swedish midfielder Tobias Linderoth tore a
hamstring in Everton's League Cup victory over Newcastle on
Wednesday and will be out for a month. His Danish midfield
colleague Thomas Gravesen has missed the last three matches with
a knee injury and may not be fit this weekend either.
Graham Stuart's long-term knee injury means the Charlton
skipper will miss out on the chance to play against his former
club.
SOUTHAMPTON (10) v BLACKBURN ROVERS (7)
Brett Ormerod will line up with James Beattie in
Southampton's attack against the club that released him as a
teenager.
Blackburn's Marc Sebastian Pelzer was injured in League Cup
action in midweek, leaving manager Graeme Souness struggling
with his back four as Swede Nils-Eric Johansson is suspended and
Norwegian Henning Berg is ruled out with an Achilles problem.
Sunday
SUNDERLAND (18) v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (5)
Sunderland striker Marcus Stewart will expect to play a part
in the match after netting twice in the club's comeback victory over
Arsenal in the League Cup in midweek.
Spurs manager Glenn Hoddle should recall defender Dean
Richards, midfielders Steffen Freund and Jamie Redknapp along
with Teddy Sheringham up front. All four were rested from the
cup defeat at Burnley, in which striker Les Ferdinand
(hamstring) and winger Matthew Etherington (ankle) both picked
up injuries.
WEST HAM UNITED (17) v LEEDS UNITED (13)
West Ham will be looking to try to relieve the pressure on
manager Glenn Roeder with its first home win of the season.
Italian Paolo Di Canio has recovered from a groin injury but
a similar problem keeps strike partner Frederic Kanoute on the
sidelines. England winger Trevor Sinclair could also return but
would have to wear a mask to protect his broken cheekbone.
Leeds boss Terry Venables is also under fire as his side
has not won in the league since beating Manchester United in
mid-September. Defender Jonathan Woodgate and midfielder Eirik
Bakke have joined his already long injury list. Striker Alan
Smith is suspended.
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