Thanks goodness for Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola, even the double dip recession can take a bow.

Had it not been for the Champions League and an economic climate that’s as inclement as the meteorological variety, one would by now be afraid for the health of the nation’s scribes.

One by one they appear to be ready to combust and are succumbing to the derby hyperbole, searching out fact, fiction and even psychological profiles in an attempt to predict the outcome of the pending ninety minutes at our Etihad Stadium on Monday night.

Of course it is great news for City and United that the eyes of the footballing world are upon them and no domestic match in recent memory can have commanded such newsprint acreage or internet chatter.

Even Vincent Kompany, our esteemed and level-headed skipper, has been caught up in the long range excitement comparing the derby to Spain’s El Clasico during an interview with Dave McDonnell of the Mirror.

"I guess this derby has become, after El Clasico, the biggest game in the world," said Kompany.

"After Real Madrid and Barcelona, it's the biggest game in a league competition, Champions League or the World Cup. We have experience of big games, but this is crazy.

"I can't remember meeting anyone in the last three or four days who didn't talk to me about it.

"It's not just that, it's the phone calls as well. Not just from here, but from China, America, all over the world. It's ridiculous the amount of people who are into this game, you just can't imagine it. This game has become much bigger than local pride in Manchester.

"You'll have City supporters in Indonesia who will have to face United supporters there, win or lose. So it's got much bigger, but this is one of the reasons I love football. I just want to get to the stadium and get it started."

Just so you know captain sensible has not completely changed character, in the same chat with the daily newspapers he also touched upon world politics – as Ian Herbert reports in the Independent. It a lengthy but thoughtful piece which captures well the essence and character of the Belgian defender and worth a read not just as a counter-balance to what Kompany himself describes as ‘trash talk’.

Elsewhere there are all the stories one might expect as the game draws closer.

The Sun has various angles from Harry Redknapp’s thwarted desire to sign Carlos Tevez, to Martin O’Neill’s assertion that his Sunderland side could have a say in the title race and Alex Ferguson’s belief that Monday could be one of the most important days in the life of any City or United fan.

Ian Ladyman in the Daily Mail has two interesting lines that reveal that Roberto Mancini would one day like to manage England and sign Wayne Rooney!

And just to top it all off nicely there is a sprinkling of transfer speculation some of which, in the Mirror, links Wayne Bridge with newly promoted Reading.

By the way stick with us at mcfc.co.uk for all the derby breaking news over the weekend including the manager’s videoed press conference and our exclusive chats with Carlos Tevez, Vincent Kompany and Shaun Goater coming your way between now and kick-off.