Manchester derby, CAF tournament

When a persistent Moussa Sissoko poked the ball into the far corner of Man City’s goal post for Newcastle’s second goal at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night in the Capital One clash against the trophy’s defending champions, the commentator said the Magpies had just clinched a result that was beyond the wildest dreams of the Magpies’ black and white stripes.

The commentator was referring to statistics that Newcastle had not won against City in nine years and had not won at Etihad in the last 13 years. And given Newcastle’s indifferent start to the season, they had just knocked out the trophy’s defending champions.

But for neutrals like me, the significance of Newcastle’s win over Man City goes beyond just statistics. For starters, it makes the clash against Liverpool on Saturday a feisty one. It also portends an interesting City game against Manchester United. For the first time this season, Newcastle now have won three consecutive matches. Just two weeks ago, they were at the bottom of the league with loud calls for Alan Pardew to be fired.

Liverpool are struggling in the domestic league as well as Champions League. Many have attributed their poor form to lack of finishing in the absence of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. But now that Mario Balotelli has started scoring again, who knows he might end up carrying Liverpool single-handedly to prevent them from walking alone.

But it is the Manchester derby tomorrow at 15:30 hours that is pregnant with promises. City’s loss on Wednesday is a rare second consecutive loss for the defending champions coming after a 2-1 loss to West Ham last week and a 2-2 draw against CSK Moscow a week before.

The situation means United travel to the blue side of Manchester when City are at the lowest ebb of form and confidence. Sadly, City have also lost David Silva to injury. It is exactly the best situation for United to seize the opportunity and compound City’s miseries at Etihad.

United come into the match on the back of a morale boosting draw against leaders Chelsea when Robin Van Persie’s last minute equaliser denied Jose Mourinho’s side victory. It was a result that demonstrated the level of confidence in the United team, especially in the absence of Wayne Rooney.

Last week, I said Chelsea would be affected by Champions League fatigue. It was true. They did not have that urge to finish the match.

This week I am also apt to suspect that City will also be affected by mid week exertions in the Capital One. The fixtures are getting congested for them. But considering that derbies are not decided by form, who knows City might want to exorcise demons that have been haunting them lately.

United go into this match fresh and hungry to continue with their good run of results. I am sure the perfectionist in Luis Van Gaal, who scolded RVP for removing his shirt after scoring against Chelsea, will tell his players to seize the moment. The return of Rooney should be a massive boost. A draw would be perfect for the neutrals, but I have a feeling that United could just steal this one.

I will also be keenly following what CAF will decide when it meets tomorrow on the future of Afcon after Morocco changed its tune over the hosting of the tournament due to Ebola threats. I still think the tournament should take place as scheduled in Morocco but without travelling supporters. After all, it is not like CAF makes more money through gate collections. They make money through TV rights. So, in banning travelling supporters CAF loses nothing.

I am waiting for sanity to prevail over the shenanigans surrounding Flames’ funding and the merits and demerits of pulling out of the Afcon tournament before I comment. I just have a feeling that somebody is being economical with the truth. It could be FAM or government, but its stinks.