Evans preparing for fiercest derby ever

Jonny Evans believes the upcoming Manchester derby will be the most hotly contested and important clash between United and City ever.

The sides meet at the Etihad Stadium on April 30 in a potential title decider with City currently sitting at the summit of the Premier League table just two points ahead of the Red Devils.

While both sides face a tough few months, including a fixture pile up due to Europa League commitments, Evans is aware of the significance that one match could have on the title race.

When asked if he thought the derby was the biggest ever, Evans said: “I think so, definitely. It’s going to be a massive atmosphere, and whoever comes out on top in that game will fancy they will go on and win the title.”

“It will be a deciding point, but I definitely think there’s going to be points dropped by both teams along the way.”

“But, obviously, whoever gets the upper hand in that game will have a great chance of winning it.”

In the reverse fixture back in October, City recorded a famous 6-1 victory over Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, a defeat which Evans said still hurts.

“I don’t think it was just a case of losing that game, I think it was how we lost it that was really hard to take,” he said.

“Teams lose games. We’ve lost games at home to City in the past, and obviously this season they’ve gone on to be our main title contenders.”

“But I think just because this is the first time in a long while the two teams from Manchester have been going for the title, it would be great to come out on top.”

“I think it will always be a blot on the history of this club because of the manner of it. But there’s more to it for us, in terms of beating Man City to win the league, rather than getting beat 6-1 by them in a game.”

“I haven’t been out since the 6-1 match. There’s obviously a lot more banter going around and a lot more City fans coming out of the woodwork.”