Pep Guardiola has called for Manchester City fans to 'demand the best' from his side when they face Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The Premier League champions maintained a strong start to their title defence with a comfortable 3-0 win against Wolves in their final outing leading to the international break.
With leaders Arsenal facing high-flying Tottenham, City could go top of the table and maintain an unbeaten record across all competitions this season.
A brace each from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez sealed am emphatic 4-1 triumph over Ralf Rangnick's United side in March as the Blues went on to claim their fourth Premier League title under Pep Guardiola.
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Manchester United have enjoyed considerable joy at the Etihad Stadium under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and will again look to hurt City with their pace on the counter.
Erik ten Hag's men have picked up form after an underwhelming start to the season that saw them come up short against Brighton and Brentford in their opening league games.
A meeting with their local rivals serves as arguably City's biggest test of the season so far on paper after their game against Tottenham was postponed following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II earlier this month.
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Speaking about the importance the Manchester derby holds in City's season in a press conference on Friday, Guardiola said: "In Spain, Barcelona vs (Real) Madrid is more noisy the days before, more media, everything. The rest in Germany, here (in England), you can work - enjoy to watch the derby.
"It (the Manchester derby) is important, big rival in the city. Try to figure out what we're going to do and what we can do to beat them.
"You don't have to make an extra emotion, it is what it is. The stadium will be full, supporters behind us, they know we'll do our best."
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Guardiola was further quizzed about the role the blue half of the city will play in what should be a fiercely-contested match on Sunday afternoon.
The Catalan added: "We're proud of what we've given to them (Manchester City fans). Go to the stadium - it's important we feel the pressure of them.
"Demand the best of ourselves. We need it, I want them (the fans) to be active. It's not just a football game. We cannot be lazy.
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"You need to express emotions and feelings, important. Here (head) is the decisions before you act. Be calm and take the right decisions to be calm. Anxious is difficult to take the right ones."
Guardiola confirmed in his press conference that John Stones will remain on the sidelines this weekend as the England international nurses a hamstring issue.
Aymeric Laporte is nearing a return to action after a length spell out injured while Stones is also expected to be back in a few weeks' time.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester City, Manchester United, Premier League, Pep Guardiola, Erik Ten Hag, Football Manager
