Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has said that the difference between his squad and Manchester United's is depth.

The Italian believes that his best 11 players are as good as Sir Alex Ferguson's but they are "not ready" to lose three or four players.

Mancini also said that United's past experience gives them the edge in mentality.

"United is a strong team, but the difference is in the 20 players, not the 11," said Mancini. "Probably if we played our best 11 players against United's best 11 players they would not be better, but we are not ready to lose three or four players.

"Maybe next year if we have more players with strong mentality it will be enough. United are better as a club and in their mentality. That is because they are used to staying on top. They can play without problems.

"They maybe don't have the pressure we have because they have won everything. When you play a team like United, that is the difference, not the players."

The Red Devils are currently five points clear of the Citizens heading into today's games.