Pep Guardiola has insisted that Manchester United fans' desire to see his Manchester City side beat Liverpool in the Premier League title race won't influence Wednesday's pivotal Manchester derby.
A win for City at Old Trafford would see them move above Liverpool at the top of the table and leave them in control of their destiny with three games remaining.
Any other result would put Liverpool in the ascendancy, a prospect that many United fans have said they find equally or more troublesome than their own team missing out in the race for a top-four finish.
"I understand the fans," Guardiola said. "When I think of Barcelona-Madrid, or the big rivalries, that is normal.
"But it's the fans and the fans can express and show whatever they want, but the reality is the players. The fans don't play, (they) help, but don't play.
"The players, when they play they want to win, and they want to do a good performance."
United were left three points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea as they were thrashed 4-0 by Everton on Sunday, with their slump since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's permanent appointment as manager continuing.
Solskjaer won 14 of his first 19 games in caretaker charge at United, but has lost four of six games since being given the full-time role last month.
Despite United's struggles, and the fact that his team are on a 10-game Premier League winning streak, Guardiola is expecting a major challenge in a derby he admits is one of the 'most important' of his managerial career.
"Of course there is going to be a reaction," Guardiola said. "They are human beings, they are professionals, they are proud.
"I'm just three seasons here, I'm not a long time in the history for Man City, but I think all the times they go to Old Trafford it's never easy, so tomorrow is not going to be an exception.
"They are playing for something. They are not playing just for history, they are playing to finish in the top four."
Ways to watch the Manchester derby
Wednesday night's game will be shown live and exclusively on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event. You will be able to watch the build-up from 7pm on both channels. Kick off is at 8pm.
Sky Sports subscribers can stream the game via the Sky Sports app or the Sky Go app.
Non-subscribers can watch through NOW TV. A Sky Sports day pass is available for £8.99, a week pass for £14.99 or a month pass for £33.99. NOW TV can be streamed through a computer or apps.
- Watch on Sky Sports
- Create a Sky iD to watch highlights on the Sky Sports app and skysports.com
- Watch on NOW TV for £8.99
Watch Manchester United vs Manchester City on Wednesday from 7pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. See The Run In on Sky Sports with two football channels for the price of one.