Guardiola rises above Solskjaer comment
Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko explained after their first-leg Champions League victory over Manchester City that they had "played with a lot of intensity, because [City] don't like it when you tickle their ankles a bit".
Ahead of the derby, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has followed Jose Mourinho's preparations by saying that Pep Guardiola's side "snap at your ankles and heels and kick you" when they lose the ball.
It may well be that City kick ankles but don't like their own ankles being kicked, but if it is true it applies to every team and it is strange behaviour from the United boss to come up with such an antagonistic comment.
You certainly wouldn't hear the City manager talking disparagingly about his opponents before a game, and he had actually defended Solskjaer minutes earlier when asked about speculation over his future.
Watch out for celebrations
City upset United at the end of that feisty Old Trafford derby last season.
After fans had been singing about Mourinho parking the bus, the players engaged in some exquisite timewasting to run the clock down and then their celebrations in the dressing room sparked a furious United reaction.
Given Guardiola's shock at what Solskjaer said about his team before the derby, it is unlikely time will have healed relations - and the Blues will have real cause to shout if they pick up a win.
Pep Guardiola responds to reports Riyad Mahrez is unhappy at Man City
Pep Guardiola knows exactly what to expect from Man City against Manchester Utd
City know what to do
For the second season in a row, City head to Old Trafford knowing that victory will put them within touching distance of the Premier League title.
Last year United were the league's last hope of a one-horse title race but Jose Mourinho's ultra-defensive side didn't even get out of the gate in an utterly dominant first half for the Blues, and a gap at the top of the table that could have seen just five points was instead 11; by the end of December it was 14 and the league was as good as won.
City knew the significance of that derby and turned in a collective performance that guaranteed the result they needed.
Sixteen months on and United are, to the horror of both clubs, the last hope Liverpool have of Guardiola's juggernaut being stopped. City's manager will rebuke anyone that writes off Burnley, Leicester and Brighton as given wins but after defeating Tottenham the derby has been circled on Merseyside as the game that could trip the team up.
Those calls have quietened considerably during a run of six defeats in eight games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men, but United should be wounded by a brutal 4-0 defeat at Everton on Sunday. A group of players that gave the new man a striking bounce when he came into the club are still capable of rising to the occasion, even if it is a sign of their decline that the derby is not the biggest in their week.
Once you look beyond the history of the fixture and the 'United DNA' that Solskjaer brought up ahead of the game, Guardiola and his squad should be encouraged by what they see as they prepare.
City are better in possession, better out of possession, and know that a win will take them within three matches of their goal.
Pep Guardiola says Man City are no longer scared of playing Manchester United at Old Trafford
Man City boss Pep Guardiola gives injury update on Kevin De Bruyne ahead of Manchester United clash
