'Desire and fire' - Inside Man City revenge mission vs Manchester United

The first teams of Manchester City and Manchester United set up a second successive FA Cup final this weekend - but it won't be the only derby showpiece this season. On Tuesday, City face United in the under-18 Premier League Cup final, having seen their four-year hold on the league title conceded to the Reds.

The players admit they are out for revenge but the coaches at the City Football Academy will be discouraging that narrative. And for good reason - win the cup, and the FA Youth Cup next month, and it could earn the club millions in transfer fees.

"We're definitely going to be confident going there," midfielder Isaiah Dada-Mascoll says. "The fact that it's away, playing on their ground, gives us a bit more motivation to show them what we're about. There was a bit of frustration [at losing the league], but obviously now that's gone and we must focus on what's in front of us.

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"It's a Manchester derby so it's always a big game. And because it's a final it makes it a bit bigger. It's just another game, but the situation - a final, a derby - it makes the stakes higher."

Those stakes are high because United have raised them. The U18 Premier League North title race has been a ridiculous one. Having dominated the league for four seasons, winning the national final in three (there wasn't one in 2020), City will have expected another shot at the crown. In terms of their own performance, they have been almost identical to previous years, with their maximum possible points tally this season of 58 one more than they earned last season when they were champions.

But