The Champions League group stages have now reached match-day four and both Manchester clubs are in action on Wednesday as they seek to secure a spot in the knock-out stages of Europe’s elite club competition (Champions League match-day four).

The Carling Cup last-16 games get underway with four matches taking place on Tuesday evening with the pick being League Two Aldershot attempting to heap more misery on Manchester United just two days after their 6-1 Old Trafford thumping against Manchester City.

It has been described as the most eagerly anticipated Manchester derby for many years, with the top two in the Premier League going head-to-head with both sides undefeated so far in the league.

The battle to be the top dogs in not just England but Manchester itself comes to a head at Old Trafford on Sunday lunch-time as the Premier League top two clashes in the biggest game of the season so far (United 21/20, City 11/4, draw 12/5 – Match Betting).

Manchester City have quickly realised the Champions League is a completely different world from the realms of domestic football and will now be going in search of their first win in Europe this season when they take on Villarreal on Tuesday (City 1/3, draw 4/1, Villarreal 9/1 – match prices).

There are some tasty looking fixtures on Tuesday night as the Carling Cup becomes the focus once more, with two all Premier League clashes as well as an old rivalry renewed.

If you are looking for two genuine Champions League contenders aside from Barcelona or Real Madrid then you don’t have to look much further than the city of Manchester this year. Both City and United have flown out of the traps in the Premier League and now they are about to show the rest of Europe what they are capable of.

It has been an extended weekend of sport with many highs and lows and we will take a look at the stand-out performances and see what can be learnt from the Bank Holiday weekend.

Premier League champions Manchester United and FA Cup winners Manchester City will contest Sunday’s Community Shield at Wembley. The season’s curtain-raiser usually attracts considerable interest but, with the rivalry between the two clubs heightened by City’s spending, this could be a feisty affair (United 11/8, City 21/10, draw 23/20 – Match Betting 90 Mins).

Manchester United supporters are likely to take a dim view of Sir Alex Ferguson’s admission that the “type” of world-class midfielder needed to fill the void created by Paul Scholes is “not available” (Man United 7/4 – Premier League 2011/12 Outright).