Alex Ferguson claims it will be 'absolute chaos' in London this weekend and he may well have a point, but in my opinion this is the most highly anticipated Manchester derby in my lifetime. Paul Scholes has today poured a vat of petrol on the fire by claiming United don't see City as one of their main rivals; "Our main rivals are obviously Arsenal and Chelsea. I think City are just a rival because of where they are (in terms of geography) and Liverpool the same." You can't fault his reasoning though, City need to prove that they are capable of being a top-four side and competing for major honours regularly. Until they can win games like this then they will always be in United's shadow.
It will be only the second time City and United have met on a neutral ground in a competitive fixture (the first was a 3-0 FA Cup Semi-Final success for City played at Bramall Lane in 1926) and it goes without saying that the stakes are high. For City, a victory will bring them a first major cup final since 1981 (discounting the 4-5 defeat to Chelsea in the Full Members Cup final of 1985) and give them a chance to finally end the 35 year wait for a major trophy. For United, a win would see them one step closer to a second 'treble' as well as putting their 'noisy neighbours' in their place yet again.
United are without Rooney, suspended following his outburst at Upton Park, but more importantly City are without Tevez, injured in a lacklustre display at Anfield on Monday night, who is so crucial to their success. City have also only won once in the last 8 meetings and have lost 6 of those. For City to win it's crucial that Gareth Barry and Ya Ya Toure get a grip on midfield, Balotelli and/or David Silva will also need to finally produce and City must concentrate at the back. For United if Nani is on form and can reign in his petulance, they should have enough with Berbatov, Giggs and Hernandez to win the game. Darren Fletcher suggested this week that this game would be more open and entertaining than the two league encounters this season, however I take United to win 1-0 or 2-0 in this one. I hope it's a classic game but I think City will struggle to score against United's solid back line without the inspirational Tevez.
Prediction: Man City 0 Man Utd 2
Although undoubtedly taking second billing to the Manchester derby this weekend the 2nd semi-final could prove to be the most engaging. Bolton are safe and with Stoke 6 points above the relegation zone this is a fantastic distraction for both clubs.There's no doubt both will have been glad to avoid City and United in the draw and with the death of Nat Lofthouse this year Bolton fans are dreaming of a fitting tribute to their hero.
Bolton last appeared in the semi-finals in 2000 when they lost on penalties following a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa. You have to go back to 1972 to find Stoke's last appearance, a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in a replay at Goodison Park. Whichever club makes it will almost certainly be guaranteed european football next season so there is an extra incentive to win.
Bolton's style of football has improved significantly under Owen Coyle but they can still mix it, and they will need to against a robust and direct Stoke side who are capable of matching any team on their day. Will the wider Wembley pitch reduce the impact of Rory Delap's long throw-ins? It's an incredibly hard game to predict but I'll go for Stoke to win 3-2, possibly after extra time.
Prediction: Bolton Wanderers 2 Stoke City 3
A look back at some classic semi-finals.
Liverpool 2 Manchester United 2 - Goodison Park 1985
Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 - Replay at Maine Road
Twice United led and twice Liverpool equalised, first Ronnie Whelan's screamer in the 87th minute then Paul Walsh's tap-in following a Rush header in the last minute of extra time. What an atmosphere at the old Goodison Park! You can also find the replay on You Tube. Bryan Robson's stunner and a Mark Hughes finish taking United to Wembley once again.
The noise is incredible on this video. Leeds took the lead then came back from 2-1 down to take the game into extra time. Dave Bennett scored the winner for the sky blues. The Video is of the 2nd half of normal time, where you can see an Andy Ritchie with hair!
Oldham Athletic 3 Manchester United 3 - Maine Road 1990
Oldham Athletic 1 Manchester United 2 - Replay
The video is of the replay at Maine Road. Bittersweet misty water-coloured memories for me of course, although I clearly remember Nick Henry's shot that hit the crossbar and bounced over the line which seems to have been omitted from this vid. Robins scored the winner, Ferguson kept his job and the rest is history!
Crystal Palace 4 Liverpool 3 - Villa Park 1990
Probably the classic FA Cup Semi-final in my view. Palace had been humiliated 9-0 at Anfield and lost 2-0 at Selhurst Park in the league that season. When Rush scored after 7 minutes it looked like business as usual for the reds. I still buzz off the two Palace equalisers.
Chesterfield 3 Middlesbrough 3 - Old Trafford 1997
Chesterfield 0 Middlesbrough 3 - Replay
It could have been Chelsea vs Chesterfield in the FA Cup Final of 1997, but it wasn't thanks to both the David Elleray and linesman failing to spot that Jon Howards' shot bounced well over the line. Middlesbrough won the replay 3-0.
In light of the Richard Keys/Andy Gray episode, you've got to laugh at Andy Grays' advice for the Chesterfield penalty taker Sean Dyche: "The only words I can offer are, Just smash it". If only it could have been Richard Keys rather than Martyn Tyler exclaiming "He's smashed it alright!"
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