Mancini expected Manchester mayhem

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini said the excitement surrounding Sunday’s top-of-the-table derby with Manchester United is warranted.

Mancini has guided his side to the top of the Premier League table, with City unbeaten after eight matches and holding a two-point lead over United.

City are bidding to win their first championship since they lifted the old First Division title back in 1968, and Mancini knows Sunday’s game at Old Trafford is a crucial one for his men.

“It’s very important because a derby is usually different from another game,” Mancini said.

“But in this game I think it will be very, very different because for the first time, for a very long time we can go there on the top.”

“I think this is a good thing for us but we know that Sunday will be a very hard game because United at home is incredible.”

“For this I think it is important that we go there, that we are ready to play at good game, we are ready to defend very well because they have fantastic strikers.”

Mancini concedes a rare win at Old Trafford will be ‘important’ in their quest to win the Premier League title, but a loss would not be detrimental to their title hopes.

“I think that it will be important for our mentality but I don’t think that it can change many things because the season will be long and United’s Champions League is not an easy group but a better (easier) group than ours,” he said.

Mancini praised striker Mario Balotelli, who is beginning to find form for City for the first time since joining from Inter Milan last year.

“I think that it should arrive the moment that Mario changes his mind, his mentality,” Mancini said of the Italian’s reversal of fortune.

“With Mario anything can happen, in any moment, Sunday or the next game. But I can say in the last two months his behaviour was good on the pitch, outside the pitch.”