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Paul Pogba

LONDON. – Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is out of tonight’s derby against Manchester City.

The match kicks-off at 9pm.

Pogba misses out due to injury, but Antonio Valencia is fit to return and Ander Herrera is also available.

A win at the Etihad would be a huge boost for United, as it would take them above City and into fourth place in the Premier League table.

And Mourinho stressed that, on this occasion, the battle for a top-four finish is more significant than local bragging rights.

“If you finish fifth and they sixth we are above them but it means nothing,” said the United boss.

“If they finish third and we finish fourth, they are above us and it means a lot. This is not about Pep (Guardiola) or City. It’s about objectives and we want to play Champions League football and we still have two doors open (Premier League and Europa League).”

Mourinho has an opportunity to score a seismic victory over his old foe Guardiola when his side visit misfiring Manchester City tonight.

Guardiola oversaw a one-sided 2-1 win when he and Mourinho resumed hostilities in September – each at the helm of a new club – and was generally felt to have made a bigger impact than the Portuguese in the season’s early months.

But having been condemned to a trophy-free first season at City by Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final loss to Arsenal, Guardiola will lose his hold on a top-four place if United prevail at the Etihad Stadium.

“It is going to be the game of the season,” predicted United’s Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera.

“We are one point behind them. If we win we have the chance to finish in the top four. If they win, it is going to be very difficult.

“Is it make-or-break? Probably. Both teams are in a good moment so if one of us wins the game we are not going to lose a lot of games or make mistakes after that. Us or them. It is going to be key.”

Mourinho, Guardiola’s bete noire during their time in Spain, has played down Herrera’s remarks, telling Sky Sports: “He says that because I always say that about the next match.”

But the United manager will know that victory would give United the edge over City in the quest for Champions League qualification.

United have struggled for fluency this season, drawing no fewer than 12 games, and spent four months grimly locked in sixth place in the table.

As the days grow longer, however, the prospects of a successful end to the season appear to be getting brighter.

United have already won the League Cup, face Celta Vigo in the semi-finals of the Europa League and showed in their stunning 2-0 ambush of league leaders Chelsea that they are a match for anyone.

Avoid defeat tonight and they will equal the club’s record for the longest unbeaten run in a top-flight season – a 24-game sequence enjoyed in 2010-11 by a United team who finished as champions. – AFP.