Manchester City vs. Manchester United: 8 Bold Predictions for the EPL Title Race

In what might just be the most significant game of the Premier League era, Manchester United will travel to the blue half of their home city to take on hated rivals Manchester City in a potentially title-deciding match.

The Red Devils looked to have the title sealed up a couple weeks ago when City were in a funk and capitulated to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. But now the tables are turned and the Citizens are surging back to within three points of United.

This will be a test of the old guard against new money, an established power against their "noisy neighbors." A true measure of the balance of power in arguably the world's toughest domestic league.

Let us try to predict what will happen in the cauldron of the Etihad Stadium when the two giants meet.

There Will Be More Than One Red Card

In a game of this magnitude between rivals this mutually hated, you can bet that tensions will be at their highest.

When the atmosphere gets testy, players make rash challenges. And when players start to lose all inhibitions, the referee often gets involved.

There is no shortage of players on both sides who are willing and have the tendency to get stuck in and take risks.

If Roberto Mancini has the audacity to start the ticking time bomb that is Mario Balotelli and Wayne Rooney does his best Montenegro impression, we may see the game get out of hand fairly quickly.

The Goals Will Dry Up

When these two teams first met during the latter's swashbuckling days in the autumn, 10-man United were dismantled in a display which saw City score a whopping six goals.

This time, with even more on the line, both sides will guard their goals very closely, wary of having to play catchup against one of the best sides in the world.

The Red Devils especially will need to be on guard on the road and in one of the more hostile environments in football. City will no doubt be invigorated by a crowd that wants to satiate decades of title hunger.

Carlos Tevez Will Be a Difference-Maker

Though it is kind of pathetic that Manchester City, with all their riches, are so reliant on one player to make a difference in their title push, that is exactly what Carlos Tevez does for them.

Finally back to full fitness, the Argentine can be the lifeblood of his team when he wishes to be, and, if given the opportunity by his frenemy, Roberto Mancini, to work his magic, Tevez will be fired up to put down his former team.

There are many ways in which his talents could be utilized. As a super-sub, he would infuse life into a stagnant team that few other players in the world could on short notice. And if he starts, he will terrorize United for the full 90 minutes.

United's Old Guard Will Come Good

Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have been here and done it before; they know exactly what to do and how to approach a game of this magnitude. They have, after all, been building up to this moment for the past 20 years.

In midfield, you can count on Scholes retaining possession no matter what position he is in when he receives the ball. Despite his advanced age, he is incredibly fit, and no one could besmirch Sir Alex Ferguson for starting him.

Giggs, meanwhile, can provide the sort of class on the wing that few others have, including the likes of Samir Nasri and James Milner that City will trot out on the flanks.

The two old heads might just be decisive.

The Referee Will Decide It

With the quality of Premier League refereeing this season, you just know that, in a game of this magnitude, when everyone just wants to see the players perform, the official will end up deciding the game.

As I said, this will be a testy encounter, and challenges will be flying around. The referee will need to be vigilant, but when faced with games like these, refs often go overboard in their discipline.

Whether it is a penalty misgiven or a string of poor calls on relatively innocuous challenges, you can bet that people will be focusing on the referee after the game almost as much as the players.

David Silva Will Return to Form

When David Silva has suffered from late-season burnout recently, the Premier League has been robbed of the Spaniard's silky flowing football.

Rested and rejuvenated, he should be ready to slice through the Manchester United defence like he did in the fall when he executed a Xavi-like maestro performance that was worthy of the highest admiration.

When his silky left foot is operating at its most beautiful (as you may realize, I quite like David Silva as a footballer), his ability to orchestrate attacking play is almost unparalleled.

With a United defence that has been among the best in England this year, he might be the decisive player in unlocking the Red Devils rearguard, which the Citizens will be trying to do during the entire game.

Whoever Wins Will Win the Title

Though this is not the final match of the season, a variety of factors make this match a true title-decider.

If Manchester United win—or even draw—they will have an almost insurmountable advantage at the top of the table, which will be even more crippling to City than the eight-point gap they had a couple weeks ago.

If the Sky Blues come away with an historic victory, however, they will increase their already sizable advantage over their rivals on goal difference, which will thrust them into the pole position to walk away with the title for the first time in weeks.

And let's not forget that the victorious team will have all the momentum going into the two final decisive fixtures.

Manchester United Will Win and Seize the Title

In these sorts of "squeaky bum time" moments of the season, no matter how strong their opponents seem, Manchester United always seem to find a way to win.

And that is what experienced teams do: They somehow invent a way to beat their opponents, while whoever their challengers may be inevitably find a way to squander their position.

This is a United team that is laced with experience in almost every position. They have been here and done it before, and not even 47,000 baying fans at the Etihad Stadium can rattle their nerves.

A 2-1 victory with a predictable late goal from Wayne Rooney or Antonio Valencia seems a reasonable scoreline, and it will be enough to give the red half of Manchester its record 20th top-division title.

Manchester City will have to resign themselves to noisy neighbors taunts for at least one more year.