Man Utd vs Man City - Blues Will Win, Says Mario Balotelli

By Joseph Dempsey / April 8, 2013

is convinced his former side will emerge victorious from tonight's top-of-the-table Manchester derby. The enigmatic Italian, who swapped the Sky Blue of City for the Red and Black of AC Milan in January, hopes his former employers can find a way to win tonight's encounter at Old Trafford. And he admitted he would be tuning in tonight to watch the Premier League clash. "I am sure Roberto Mancini will find the right way to win the derby. I really hope City win. "I am sure me and Nigel (de Jong) will watch the game - perhaps not together - but we will both supporting our ex-teammates, the boss and the supporters big time: we want a win." In last season's reverse fixture, Balotelli produced one of the most iconic moments of the season by scoring against the Red Devils in a 6-1 rout before unveiling his now famous "Why Always Me" tee-shirt. Of that win, he told the club's website, mcfc.co.uk:

"The goal I scored at Old Trafford was a great moment in my career, like the goal I scored for Italy against Germany in the Euros. "As soon as I arrived at City, everyone talked to me about the derby as the game to win and the Old Trafford as the stadium to conquer... I understood that - and did it!"

Balotelli has been in electric form since his move to the San Siro in January and has plundered seven goals in eight matches for his new club. After a tumultuous spell in Manchester where he was consistently making the headlines, sometimes for not all the right reasons, the Italian looks to have at last settled down and is back enjoying his football again. He found himself surplus to requirements under Roberto Mancini toward the end of 2012 in spite of his heroics in helping the side clinch the Premier League crown, and while he found himself on the fringes at the Etihad, he has since become one of the mainstays in Massimiliano Allegri's side.