Manchester City legend Andy Hinchcliffe believes Sir Alex Ferguson will dump his kids for the Carling Cup semifinal.

A flag stating “33 Years” is situated on the top tier of Manchester United’s famous Stretford End stand to celebrate the fact City have not won a trophy since 1976. And Hinchcliffe, who booked his place in City folklore with the final goal in the 5-1 demolition of United 20 years ago, feels Fergie will be dicing with danger if he fails to pay the Blues the respect they deserve.

He told the Sunday Mirror: “City have won the League Cup twice and both times they beat United on the way to the Final – so the omens are there.

“It will be interesting to see if Fergie keeps to his promise to give his younger players a chance or whether he goes with his big guns. This is a Manchester derby and it’s a brave manager who puts out a team that is less than full strength because it means so much to the fans.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s the Youth Cup, the League Cup or the Premier League – City are desperate to beat United and vice-versa.

“That flag at the Stretford End just shows how much United’s fans want City to fail.

“It’s a source of pride for them and I am sure they wouldn’t like it if they had to take it down because City beat a weakened United team and went on to win the cup.”