Nigel De Jong Seeking Manchester City Revenge Over Manchester United

Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong has targeted Wednesday night's League Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester United at Eastlands as a perfect chance for revenge.

City lost the first Premier League Manchester derby of the season 4-3 thanks to an injury time Michael Owen strike after a thrilling encounter that could have gone either way.

De Jong feels that the close-run nature of that encounter shows that City are more than a match for their illustrious neighbours.

"It is encouraging when you play that kind of game and lose it in the last couple of seconds," the Dutchman said, according to the Manchester Evening News.

"Everyone still has that game in their memory, but we have to keep the pride and the spirit going on.

"It's a different game, and I don't like to look back, but there are things our supporters can never forget and it would be good to give them a nice result on Wednesday.

"It was hard for that moment. When you play that kind of game against United and lose it in the last few seconds, it is devastating.

"United is a special game, but that was just a moment and we had to continue and prepare for the next game. That was then, and now is now, and we play them again on Wednesday."

And De Jong feels that suggestions that United are weaker this season than in previous years are wide of the mark.

"They are not weaker than they were - you just have to see where they are standing in the league. United are never weak," he added.

"They lost a good player in Ronaldo, but that gives the opportunity for other players to show their qualities. Wayne Rooney has been on fire for them, and so has Ryan Giggs.

"It doesn't matter who plays. We have to focus on ourselves and perform the best we can on Wednesday."

The dynamic midfielder has no concerns about whether new City manager Roberto Mancini is ready to face such a big challenge as a Manchester derby so soon in his Eastlands reign.

"I think he has enough experience to coach these kind of derbies because he has come from Italy, where the fans are also crazy," De jong explained.

"The Milan derby is one of the biggest in the world."

Zack Wilson, Goal.com UK