A miserable Manchester derby awaits City and United fans

Manchester derbies rarely fail to deliver. They were once plucky little City kicking against what their fans called the "evil empire" of United.

- John Brewin

In modern times, United, a model for waste and faded grandeur, take on the blue-chip, petrodollar-funded modern powerhouse of City in hope rather than expectation.

Dec 15 at the Etihad sees a switch in that latter narrative. Manchester's two major football clubs are at their collective lowest ebb since the late 1980s.

If United are 13th in the table, a position not plunged to since Alex Ferguson's early years, City are fourth before the weekend's fixtures, but close to bottom in the form table.

On Dec 11 in Turin, City's wobbles and foibles continued. A not especially impressive Juventus won easily in the Champions League; the patterns of previous weeks repeated, goals conceded via familiar channels.