City snub United switch plea
Manchester City have snubbed a plea from United to move their derby fixture back 24 hours.
PA Sport understands representatives from the Old Trafford club requested the game at Eastlands, scheduled for lunchtime on Saturday, May 4, be moved in order to provide them with more recovery time as they are not due to return from their Champions League semi-final in Milan until the early hours of Thursday morning.
Given Alex Ferguson’s men would only have 48 hours preparation time, United felt it was perfectly reasonable to request a delay, even though the match is due to be screened by Sky TV.
However, City rejected the request out of hand and have insisted the game should be played as planned, with a 12.45pm kick-off.
News of the snub will only further fuel tensions between the two sets of fans over what has long been viewed as a powderkeg game.
At one stage, it was feared the match could not only see United crowned champions but send City down, a nightmare scenario for Greater Manchester Police.
The Blues’ relegation fears have now eased but the Red Devils still have an outside chance of clinching the title by winning the match.
For such a situation to unfold, United would have to beat Everton at Goodison Park this weekend, while Chelsea would need to lose their home game against Bolton.
That would leave Ferguson’s side holding a six-point advantage, knowing a win over City would effectively seal the championship given their vast goal difference advantage over Chelsea.
