The Blues boss is forever fixed in Manchester United folklore as a warrior centre-forward, but now he is out to repeat his 2-1 victory with Blackburn in a bid to regain European football next season for City.
Hughes, warmly welcomed by fans as Rovers’ manager, goes back having nailed his colours firmly to City’s mast. But he said: “What sort of reception I get is something I won’t lose too much sleep over.
“It’s great to be able to go there with the team, and the key is to make sure we perform well. I’ve been back with Blackburn Rovers and won at Old Trafford. It’s a great experience when it happens, by the way!
There is no greater satisfaction than going to Old Trafford and taking points off them. If we could do it then maybe it would be another indication that we are going in the right direction.
Mark Hughes
“The Premier League tests you on a regular basis, and some test will be greater than others. At the weekend, we probably get the greatest test of all. Everybody here looks forward to the derby with relish. Let’s test ourselves and see where we are.
“I get a buzz out of derby day just like everybody else. You want to test yourself against arguably the best team in Europe, and if you come away with something, it shows you’re doing something right.”
City’s bullish boss has no illusions about the size of the task for his team, who go to Old Trafford with four successive wins behind them and a fighting chance of seventh spot and a Europa League place.
He said: “United are playing exceptionally well - they come stronger at the right time in the season, they go that extra yard and win trophies. But we are also playing well and there is nothing to be apprehensive about.
“It’s difficult to pinpoint any glaring omission in their armoury, but with any team, if they don’t perform to the maximum of their ability they can be tripped up. That’s the nature of the Premier League.
Top sides can be beaten. They have individual players who can win games on their own, but we have those as well. We have aspirations to be challenging in the years to come, so it’s a good benchmark for us.”
Hughes, recalling his Old Trafford triumph in 2005, added: “I remember Sir Alex Ferguson saying Brad Friedel had played exceptionally well, and you need big performances from your big players there.
“We scored late on through Morten Pedersen, which tells you we were still trying to be positive near the end of the game. You have to have belief and give it a go, otherwise what’s the point?”
