With original venue Altrincham ruled out by the harsh weather, fans will miss out with Welsh’s side forced to chase their fifth successive Senior Cup win behind closed doors.
He said: “It’s a shame that our fans won’t be able to see the game, because the atmosphere is always a great part of the derby and the lads do respond to that support.
“But in the current weather we’re just glad to be able to get the game on when it could easily have had to be put back until later in the season.
“And a derby is always a bit special - it’s always an exciting prospect for the player. It’s one of those games they all want to play in, and motivation is never a problem.
We look forward to these games, because you know that United will be a great challenge from a good footballing team
City have striker Harry Bunn back from loan at Preston and midfielder Luca Scapuzzi from Oldham, with a strong complement available after the Genoa charity match fell to the weather.
Defender Freddie Veseli, who changed colours during the transfer window, is cup-tied for the Reds - he scored on his farewell Blues appearance in the 3-1 victory at Bury.
Welsh added: “Going out of the NextGen Series was a disappointment of course, but the fact that Barcelona and Marseille from our group are both in the semi-finals shows how tough it was.
“The performances in this competition have been good. We’re aiming to win the trophy - we’ve got 12 points from four games and we’re looking to keep that going tomorrow.”
