Mancini says Manchester derby with Man U not 'title deciding'

London, Apr 24(ANI): Manchester City manager Roberto has tried to downplay the importance of next weekend's highly awaited Manchester derby that could possibly decide the fate of the Premier League.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson helped set the tone of most coverage when he claimed the game is effectively a playoff for the Premier League title, but Mancini has made a convincing case to the contrary.

Mancini pointed out that each team has two games remaining after Monday's match and, with both teams having dropped points over the past few weeks, there could be more twists in the title race.

"The derby is always the game of the year. For the supporters, a derby is always a different game to the others. It is important for the city. Manchester has two top teams who are in a position to play this important game," News24 quoted Mancini, as saying.

"But for us it will just be one more game, not because we fight for this or for that. And after it there are another two games, very tough games," he added.

Mancini has so far only a 1-0 FA Cup semi-final win and October's 6-1 thrashing at Old Trafford to show against United, and he believes the last derby between both the sides could only transpire once in a week.The one at Old Trafford was a fantastic derby. But it was a game that can happen only once every hundred years," he said. (ANI)