There is nothing quick like a derby to stir sporting emotions.
Said contests are the first that many fans will look for when the fixture lists for any given season are released.
When local rivals or those with historical grudges to bear lock horns, there are always more than mere points at stake.
Bragging rights count for plenty, with derby dates having the potential to boast define and destruct.
Emerge victorious and a springboard can be found, while defeat can lead to deflation at an alarming rate.
Feuds
One of the biggest local feuds in English football is about to take centre stage once more, with Man City vs Man United betting odds expecting the spoils to remain on home soil at the Etihad Stadium as Pep Guardiola’s side sit at strong 8/15 favourites.
It is often said that form goes out of the window in such contests, but football predictions rarely stray far from that beaten path.
There are plenty of derby encounters for fans to enjoy up and down the country, from Cumbria to Devon – with many of those taking place in Yorkshire.
Leeds United form part of the Championship promotion-chasing pack this season and will welcome in the New Year with little travelling having to be done.
The Whites will head from West to East Yorkshire for a meeting with Hull City on January 4, before returning to Elland Road for an FA Cup clash with Harrogate Town and a second tier meeting with Sheffield Wednesday.
Said fixtures are spread over a two-week period, which could prove pivotal for Daniel Farke’s team.
If momentum can be established or maintained at the turn of a calendar year, then dreams of a return to the Premier League Promised Land can truly begin to form.
It is at that level where derbies such as those taking place in Manchester, Merseyside and North London capture the imagination.
Former City captain Vincent Kompany, who was never one to take any game lightly, has previously said of why certain fixtures are bigger than others: “I enjoy it more than anyone else and I am happy to say that the derby is more important than any other game. I don’t care what anyone says.”
It is difficult to argue against such a statement, with there being so much riding on the performance of 22 players across 90 minutes of action.
There is a reason why the volume is always turned up on derby day.
Heroes
Heroes can be made of the victors, while losers face the threat of becoming villains.
To some it may be ‘just another game’, with the same number of points up for grabs, but that is never really the case.
Derby matches across Great Britain and around the world conjure up feelings that no other contest can.
They can be make or break, with campaigns either built upon or crumbling around foundations that are put in place when old adversaries provide the opposition.
Delight or despair, agony or ecstasy, these games will always mean more.
To read more, Click Here
