The Premier League title race can effectively be put to bed on Monday when Manchester United take on champions Manchester City knowing victory would put them almost home and dry.
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United lead City by 15 points at the top with eight games to go and know that one more win would give them one hand on a record 20th top-flight title.
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Sir Alex Ferguson's side went out of the FA Cup on Monday at the hands of Chelsea but the Scot expects his side to bounce back immediately at Old Trafford.
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"It was disappointing, of course, but we have to forget all about it and move on to the game against City next Monday," he said.
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"We are in a good position obviously and I think a positive result for us on Monday will just about seal the title for us."
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City manager Roberto Mancini said last weekend that the race was just about over but the Manchester derby is also about bragging rights.
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Twelve months ago, victory in this fixture propelled City to the title and the Italian would love to at least delay United getting their hands on the trophy.
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"We want to try to win because we want to get second," Mancini said.
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"We don't want any problem from now until the end in the last eight games. We want to win because it's a derby too.
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"We know it'll be difficult as they are in good form.
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They didn't lose for a long time and we know that we play against a good team.
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"They won a lot of games, difficult matches but they score a lot of goals. We had a chance at the start of the season when we can change our team. We didn't change."
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At the other end, the battle to avoid relegation is reaching boiling point with seven teams separated by just four points.
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Reading and Queens Park Rangers, seven points from safety with just seven games to go, both face must- win home games.
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QPR manager Harry Redknapp spent heavily in the January transfer window but his side are still struggling, level on points with Reading at the bottom.
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On Sunday, they take on a Wigan side who sit just one point above the bottom three but who have won their past two games and are past masters at pulling off the great escape.
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"We have just got to keep going," Redknapp said.
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"We have got to win on Sunday."
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"We don't need a miracle. A miracle is: if you are a cripple and I touch you and I cure you. That is a miracle. It is not a miracle to win some football matches."
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Reading manager Nigel Adkins takes on the side that sacked him, Southampton, in another "relegation six- pointer", the result vital to both sides.
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Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert takes his side to Stoke City preaching to his side that they are not the only ones in trouble.
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"Every team in the bottom half of the table is in a battle now. We are four points off 12th place and for much of the season we have been accustomed to this situation," he said.
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"Suddenly, there are other teams that have been pulled into it, teams who haven't had to get their heads around it and we'll see now what happens."
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New Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio faces a baptism of fire in his first match in charge, away to Chelsea.
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Chelsea are still chasing a top-four spot and Di Canio's Sunderland are just one point above the bottom three but it is the Italian's character that could be in question.
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Di Canio's first week in charge has been dominated by a row over whether he is a fascist, with the former West Ham player forced to make a public denial on Wednesday.
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Newcastle and Norwich, the other two sides in immediate danger, host Fulham and Swansea respectively.
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Third-placed Tottenham take on sixth-placed Everton while fifth-placed Arsenal travel to West Brom and Liverpool, in seventh, host West Ham.
Manchester United must take the match seriously cause they've been dissappointing recently. I don't know what is wrong with the team anymore