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.
Denne historien er fra December 15, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 15, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Overcoming debt, adversity to start zi char restaurant
Saddled with $100,000 of debt at age 33 after his first coffee shop venture tanked, Kuala Lumpur-born Danny Chan was unfazed.
What's Singapore like at 4am?
I put my inability to sleep to good use by joining an After Hours tour hosted by non-profit organisation My Community
Why 'complain kings' love to kick up a fuss
If Singapore has a national pastime beyond lining up for food and scoring deals, it is complaining.
Classical game still the king of chess, says Fide CEO
Freestyle chess may be the new kid on the block alongside other popular variants of the game such as rapid or blitz, but International Chess Federation (Fide) chief executive Emil Sutovsky believes the classical format is here to stay.
SUBS SAVE SUB-PAR S'PORE
Lions struggle before bench players make impact in win over lowly Timor-Leste
Ange unconcerned about hurt egos of players
TOUGH TALK
TUCHEL PROMISES A CLEAN SLATE
He says Kane will keep England captaincy as Three Lions are drawn into five-team group
PEP: I WANT MY PLAYERS BACK
Ahead of derby, City boss says he needs Rodri & Co to return instead of new signings
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.
Record-breaking Walsh glad new marks come with money incentives
BUDAPEST - World records continued to dissolve on Dec 13 at the short-course swimming world championships as seven fell, with Gretchen Walsh claiming three of them, including two in 26 minutes.