Coming Thursday, two giants in English football go head to head against each other. What was, in the initial years, a battle for supremacy in the city, evolved into a battle for supremacy in England, and is well on course to be a battle for supremacy in European football.
Manchester United and Manchester City are two of the richest clubs in world football, arguably having spending powers that outstrip other European giants like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Trending
As was typified by a huge blue 'Welcome to Manchester' poster in the city centre by ManCity fans in the aftermath of Carlos Tevez's transfer from United to City, the derby is a matter of pride, confidence and perhaps most importantly, local bragging rights.
After years of being in United's shadow, Sheikh Mansour's takeover has given City fans a new lease of life – it would have been unthinkable for them to land a manager of Guardiola's stature even a decade ago. But in spite of the strides they have taken in recent years, United still remains firmly above City in the football hierarchy.
Here are 5 reasons why Manchester United is considered a bigger club than Manchester City:
#1 Derby record
Starting with the most direct means of comparison, United have traditionally fared better in the Manchester derbies. As of 26 October 2016, there were 173 competitive meetings between the teams, of which United won 72, City won 50 and 51 games finished as a draw.
In recent years, as expected with City's meteoric rise, their derby record has gotten better – but even then, United have had memorable victories in recent times.
Van Persie's injury-time winner in a 2-3 victory in December 2012 en route to becoming champions, the 4-2 victory under Van Gaal in April 2015 which derailed City's title challenge, and even the recent 1-0 win in the EFL cup 4th round in October 2016, which has consigned City to a trophyless season in hindsight.
#2 Tradition of producing homegrown talent
A casual glance at both squads gives a clear idea about the discrepancy here. Remember that United has Mourinho at the helm, who has a reputation of being unforgiving and untrusting with young players, while City has Guardiola, who has garnered fame for diametrically opposite reasons.
Still, City can boast of no homegrown youngster in and around their first team squad, while United have Rashford and Lingard, both having joined the Manchester United academy at the age of seven.
Of course, this isn't just a one-off either. The Busby Babes, the Class of 92 – United's history is adorned with long lists of homegrown legends.
The Class of 92 in particular – David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes; 3 of whom only ever played for Manchester United, still remains an absolute marvel in the money-driven impatient world of modern football.
#3 Estimated wealth
In January 2017, Manchester United replaced Real Madrid at the top of Deloitte's Football Money League, thus reclaiming the spot they had relinquished since 2003-04. United has generated a staggering amount of commercial revenue in recent years, with a £75 million per season deal with Adidas and £53 million per season deal with Chevrolet being the highlights.
Despite their ascent in recent years, City is yet to crack the top three of the richest clubs. They find themselves fifth, fueled by the expansion of the Etihad stadium and consistent appearances in the Champions League.
It is telling that United's record transfer outlay (Pogba, £89.3 million) eclipses that of City (De Bruyne, £54 million) by such a huge figure – and remember, United are rumoured to be gearing up to smash the world transfer record yet again by bidding £100 million for Griezmann.
#4 Fanbase
The only geographic locale within which you would find more City fans than United fans is perhaps the confined boundaries of Manchester. There isn't even real competition outside of it; United are the most popular football club in the world, with an enormous (and expanding) fanbase across 24 countries.
To give an idea of the sheer gap in this context, consider this: Deloitte Football Money League 2017 estimates the fan following of Manchester City at 3.9 million twitter followers, 22.6 million facebook likes and 4.2 million Instagram followers.
What about Manchester United? Well, 9.8 million twitter followers, 72.2 million facebook likes, 15.4 million Instagram followers – that is, more than 3 times City's following!
#5 History and Success
Yet another criterion for comparison where City stand no chance, United are the most successful club in English history. Even after the wane of the glory years of Ferguson, United have quietly continued to pick up trophies – FA Cup under Van Gaal, League Cup under Mourinho and a healthy position for an upcoming Europa triumph.
And in case you consider it worth noting, United was founded two years prior to City too (1878 and 1880 respectively).
With 20 First Division titles and 3 European Cups as opposed to four First Division titles and no European Cups, City have a lot of catching up to do. While in the process, as Guardiola recently admitted, they would be better off focusing on step by step improvement - rather than being burdened by the inescapable glory of their rivals.
