Marc Skinner has admitted the WSL Manchester derby is a "huge moment" for his United team.
The Red Devils are second in the standings but could return to the summit if Chelsea slip up against Arsenal and United beat City later on Sunday. That would give them a huge chance of winning the league for the first time, with only one game remaining after this weekend.
But to win the derby, against a City side still hopeful of a top three finish themselves, they will have to bounce back quickly from the blow of losing a cup final. United were beaten by Chelsea at Wembley last weekend after Sam Kerr struck the games only goal, despite Skinners' team controlling the game for long periods.
"To be in Europe would be huge," Skinner said. "But as much as we talk about mathematics, but I saw the Sheff Wednesday game last night and who would have thought that would happen. The reality is even when you're in control of something, you have to stay in control.
"We are not only still in contention for the league if we win, but obviously we will mathematically finish above Man City if we beat them. That is how huge this moment is for us.
"Even if it doesn't happen for us Sunday, we can still control our position (of finishing in the top three) But Man City is a very tough opponent for anyone in this league. This game is huge. We know how big it is, but we'll play it with the same mindset we play any game.
"What a great penultimate weekend (in the WSL) for women's football. For us as a team, we are going to focus on what we can control in the game, but it is a heavyweight contest. Hopefully it is a sell-out at Leigh Sports Village as our fans have been absolutely superb for us this season."
United though will have to prove their mental strength after narrowly missing out on the Women's FA Cup and seeing Chelsea move top of the WSL in midweek. Skinner also gave an insight into how his personal preparations were affected before the game, with his father suffering a heart attack. Thankfully the United coach also revealed he had recovered.
"It didn’t help my dad had a heart attack the day before the game," Skinner added. "He is ok now by the way. That’s the factor people don’t see, when you go into games.
"I felt we as a collective did well at hiding those things. I'm ok, I'm tough enough to help my team when we need it. That’s how professional we are. We’re here to do a job."
Skinner's team played well, particularly in the first half against Chelsea but failed to get the crucial breakthrough before Kerr made the difference. But despite losing a first major final, the Utd boss says the team are in the correct mindset to attack the rest of the season.
"The worst thing about the day was the result," Skinner added. "But we gave a lot of personality, we showed a lot of personality.
"We could have been overawed by the situation, but we weren't. Maybe Chelsea's individuals shone through, but for moments in that game we were excellent. There's no 'after the Lord Mayor's show' feeling about us.
"I think it has reignited the feeling that we can compete at the highest level."
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