EVENING BOLLOXWe'll be bigger than United claims Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini Roberto Mancini has claimed Manchester City could one day knock Manchester United off their pedestal as England's biggest club.
The City manager will experience his first local derby at Eastlands on Tuesday knowing victory in the two-legged semi-final would secure City a place in a major domestic showpiece for the first time since 1981.
Given the amounts of cash owner Sheikh Mansour has already invested, with the promise of much more to come, it seems only a matter of time before a 34-year trophy drought comes to an end as well.
And, given United's much-publicised financial restraints, there are some who feel it is also only a matter of time before the Red Devils are usurped as top dogs.
It may seem improbable given United have joined Liverpool on 18 titles by winning 11 since the Premier League was formed in 1992, but Mancini does not believe it is beyond the realms of possibility.
'If we work well, it is possible,' said the Italian.
'United have a big history. They have been a good team for many years. City can become a big team in the next year. It is most important that we get into the top four.
'That would change the situations. Surely it would be better if City were also a big club in the future because then Manchester could have two clubs in the Champions League.'
That is the stated aim for this season, although, having scrambled into a top-four berth last weekend, City promptly fell straight back out of it again on Saturday when they were beaten at Everton.
It was Mancini's first loss, made more notable for a recurrence of Roque Santa Cruz's calf injury after just four minutes that will keep him out for at least a month and his replacement, Robinho, being substituted himself early in the second half as Shaun Wright-Phillips was introduced.
The move has been interpreted as a clear signal Mancini is not impressed by the £32.5million Brazilian's lack of effort and it is once again being suggested Robinho is heading for the Eastlands exit door, if not this month then next summer.
Mancini tried to play down such talk, although he hardly helped matters with an unfavourable comparison to Carlos Tevez.
'It was a bad night for us all. Robinho can play well but it is not always possible and on Saturday he played the same as his team-mates.
'When I put Wright-Phillips on I had to take a striker off because I cannot keep five forwards on the pitch.
Eastlands' exit? Robinho was hauled off by Mancini
'I had to decide between Robinho and Carlos'
In truth, the conclusion was an obvious one and Mancini will be pinning his hopes on Tevez to do some damage to his old club, having left Old Trafford in such acrimonious circumstances last summer.
'I hope that Carlos can score goals because he is an ex-United player,' said Mancini.
'But it is important that the squad plays well. And we must not forget this match is over two games.'
As Patrick Vieira's debut is on hold until he recovers from the calf injury he picked up immediately before his move from Inter Milan, Mancini is probably relieved Stephen Ireland is at least fit enough to take up a place on the bench after missing three matches with a hamstring problem.
Mancini admitted his first taste of defeat in England left him feeling angry - not so much with his team's performance, which was poor, but purely because he is a bad loser.
However, he has been made aware of a far more tense situation at United, where the financial restraints imposed by the Glazer family's controversial takeover have been laid bare.
Not that Mancini expects that to have any impact tomorrow. 'Manchester United have been on the top for many years,' he said. 'It is not important if they have problems. On a pitch there are only players, not money.'
Iced bun posters 'too revealing' The photos will be used to advertise the show across Manchester city centre
Producers of a stage show have been told to alter their advertising posters after Manchester City Council said they were too revealing.
Calendar Girls, based on the true story of women who posed naked for a charity calendar, is due to run at The Lowry.
Posters of two of the stars as they would appear on the calendar were due to be shown in Manchester city centre. They had to be amended four times.
The city council said it had asked for some more "imaginative cropping".
There were concerns that the pictures of Gemma Atkinson with iced buns and Hannah Waterman sitting at a piano were too shocking, a spokesman for the show said.
"We wanted to use these photos to advertise the production on banners in the city centre," Dafydd Rogers, one of the show's producers, said.
"The council said that the campaign was just too provocative and that they would need to re-do the photos."
A spokesman for Manchester City Council said: "These massive posters will be hanging in Albert Square and on lamp posts throughout the city centre and we simply requested some more imaginative cropping, which they agreed to."
Patrice Evra: Manchester United Care About Trophies, Not Beating Manchester City Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra has claimed that the Red Devils care little for beating Manchester City in this week's League Cup semi-final.
They could be playing anyone, he asserts, and are focused on winning another trophy, not claiming local bragging rights.
"We know the City people are talking about this game," he said, according to Press Association Sport.
"But we are playing it to go one more step closer to winning the cup, maybe they are playing it to beat us. That is the difference between the two clubs.
"For us it is not just about beating Manchester City.
"Yes, it is an important game but Manchester United play a lot of big games."
Evra does count this season's 4-3 victory over City at Old Trafford as the best atmosphere he has experienced at Old Trafford though.
He is also hopeful that a defeat to United might once again stall the Citizens' campaign somewhat.
"People always ask me what is the best atmosphere I have ever experienced at Old Trafford," he added.
"Before it was Barcelona and the game against Roma.
"But when we beat City 4-3 it was crazy. Everyone was on the pitch at the end, the noise was incredible.
"More importantly, City had been doing well. But when they lost that game against us they started to struggle.
"If we win this match it might affect them again."
As for City manager Roberto Mancini, Evra feels that only time will show if he is a good manager for the Eastlands club or not.
"Every time it is the same. Now people say Mancini is a great manager because he won the first four games," he said.
"But if he loses against United, they will say he is the worst. That is the way football is now. It is only talk."
Medals and trophies are what motivates the France left-back, and the League Cup provides him with another chance to demonstrate that he is doing his job properly.
"Every year I have been at Manchester United I have won two or three trophies," he explained.
"For me now, it is normal.
"If we don't win the league it will look like I have not done my job properly. I only have the mentality to win, every year."
