Manchester United vs. Manchester City: United Look to Avenge Early-Season Rout

Manchester United will look to avenge their early-season thrashing at the hands of cross-town rivals Manchester City by knocking the Premier League leaders out of the FA Cup.

United has lost their last two league matches and nothing would get them moving in a positive direction more than to spoil City's bid for a second straight FA Cup title.

Not only will the Red Devils have the 6-1 defeat at Old Trafford from October on their minds, they will be wanting revenge for their FA Cup semifinal exit last season when Manchester City defeated them to progress to the final.

Winning this match will be a difficult task for United, who are dealing with a lot on and off the pitch. Off the pitch they have transfer concerns to worry about, and on the pitch they have been struggling mightily.

Two straight league losses to Blackburn and Newcastle were demoralizing to Sir Alex Ferguson's club, not just because they failed to earn any points—it was the way they lost them.

Giving up the first goal, not capitalizing on quality scoring chances and not finishing matches late are all things uncharacteristic of United. They cannot play that way against Manchester City or they will be trounced by another huge margin.

City can smell blood in the water. They know their rivals are struggling, and another big defeat for them could ruin their season.

City enters this match off a resounding 3-0 league win against Liverpool in which they defended extraordinarily well. The City back four and goalkeeper Joe Hart have been tremendous in recent matches, and are making it difficult for opposing club's to score.

United will have a real tough time scoring at all against their rivals on Sunday because they don't have a striker in form that can break though the City defense.

The league leaders have allowed only one goal in their last five matches, which includes quality opponents such as Arsenal and Liverpool.

Given United's scoring problems against inferior clubs lately, Sunday's match could be a real struggle for them.

A win for Ferguson's squad would really boost their confidence, but it won't happen against a Manchester City team that is set on winning the double this season.

City are the best club in England, and with a chance to knock their rivals out of the league cup, they will take every opportunity to ensure victory on Sunday at the Etihad.

Follow @NicholasGoss35