Nick Cushing says the passions of derby day and what it means to the fans is at the forefront of his players’ minds ahead of Saturday’s game against Manchester United.
The City boss is more than happy for emotion to fuel his side’s performance at the Etihad Stadium, something he believes is important in games of such magnitude.
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But above all else, he wants City to produce a display the fans can be proud of.
“Our players know they play for the fans,” he said.
“At City we’re incredibly proud of the fan base we’ve got and the players have a huge desire to do the fans proud and win the one game that means so much to them.
“If I look at our players now, I can tell that the competitiveness, the desire to win and that tension around a local derby has started to set in.”
Cushing also discusses how the opening day derby impacted his preseason preparations, the recent international break and the final few days leading up to the big game.
Get his thoughts in the video above...
WITNESS HISTORY | Tickets for the derby are available to buy online and the Etihad Stadium ticket office will remain open until shortly before kick-off on Saturday.
