It is indicative of how much the landscape of English football has been transformed in the 30 intervening years that such a fate is now virtually unthinkable for the world's richest club.

That is not to say however that, for United, defeat on Sunday would not come with severe consequences attached.

Nine points adrift of Arsenal and Chelsea with a third of the season very soon to be elapsed, Alex Ferguson's side have had their room for error reduced to a critical margin: one more slip could well prove fatal to their hopes of reclaiming the Premiership title.

The bubble of optimism generated by the stormy victory over Arsenal a fortnight ago was punctured almost immediately by the careless way in which the points were conceded to Portsmouth last weekend.

And it can be safely assumed that that frustrating setback at Fratton Park resulted in Ferguson's famous 'hairdryer' operating at full blast on the training ground this week.

A more reassuring level of service was resumed in Wednesday's 4-1 Champions League win over Sparta Prague but United fans will be painfully aware that the architect of that triumph, Ruud van Nistelrooy, will be missing from action on Sunday as he completes the final leg of a three-match domestic ban for stamping on Arsenal's Ashley Cole.

"It is a disappointment that Ruud will not be available but that is why you have big squads of players," said Ferguson. "We've got Alan Smith and Wayne Rooney available -- so it is not as if we are short of strikers.

"We keep saying we need to get some momentum behind us and that is what we need to do. We all deserve to see better than what we saw last Saturday."

City may have made their traditionally erratic start to the season but Kevin Keegan's side have displayed a defensive resilience not normally associated with his line-ups, notably in last month's win over Chelsea.

Despite injury problems which mean Keegan is likely to hand Willo Flood and Stephen Jordan their second Premiership starts, the former England manager is optimistic about his side's prospects of finally slaying their Old Trafford jinx.

"I know we've not won there for nearly 30 years because people keep telling me," he said. "But we've got to do it at some point, so why not this week.

"With all the injuries and the fact we'll have one or two younger players out there, people will give us no chance but there is always a chance in football."

Arsenal, who have looked distinctly shaky in their two draws since losing to United on October 24, would normally expect to return to winning ways against Premiership newcomers Crystal Palace.

But the absence of injured England centreback Sol Campbell combined with the form of Palace's star striker Andy Johnson, currently the top scoring Englishman in the Premiership, makes Saturday's meeting at Crystal Palace an intriguing London derby.

Chelsea will be confident of taking advantage of any further slippage from the Gunners when they entertain third-placed Everton.

Jose Mourinho's side, written off as drearily defensive at the start of the campaign, have struck eight in their last two Premiership outings and became the first English side to book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League in midweek.

Confidence is a plentiful commodity around Stamford Bridge at the moment but Mourinho faces a worthy adversary in the form of David Moyes, who has brilliantly revitalised Everton's workaday squad this season.

Liverpool, who have been quietly moving up the table, can move to within touching distance of the leaders if they can continue their strong home form against Birmingham at Anfield.

FIXTURES
(1500 GMT kick-off unless stated)
Saturday: Aston Villa v Portsmouth (1245), Chelsea v Everton, Crystal Palace v Arsenal, Liverpool v Birmingham, Norwich v Blackburn, Southampton v West Brom, Tottenham v Charlton
Sunday: Manchester Utd v Manchester City (1605 GMT), Middlesbrough v Bolton (1400), Newcastle v Fulham