Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester City will continue to spend on players until they win a trophy. City have invested vast sums in an attempt to bring success to Eastlands since Sheikh Mansour completed his takeover of the club in the summer of 2008.
The last piece of major silverware lifted by the blue half of Manchester was the 1976 League Cup, a fact which United supporters take great delight in reminding their rivals of.
United make the trip across Manchester to Eastlands on Wednesday evening trailing Premier League leaders Chelsea by two points, with Mancini's men three further back having snapped a two-game losing run.
And while Ferguson believes having their neighbours in the title race adds greater spice to an already fiery fixture, he feels that the thirst for success may add to the pressure on City's shoulders.
"[City's good start this season] does put an edge on [the game]," the Reds boss told Inside United. "I don't believe there's any question about that.
"We know the kind of money they're spending - they've bought another five or six players in the summer - and they'll keep doing that until they win something.
"You know that's going to be the way it is and you have to deal with it as it comes along.
"They're up there [challenging for the title], and you can't wait until tomorrow when there's something there today. I'm sure they're thinking that way themselves."
