Aleksandar Kolarov has claimed that Manchester City have been "superior" to their cross-city rivals Manchester United for at least five years.
The two sides meet on Sunday with City in third place and United languishing in eighth, and the Serbian full-back believes that the Citizens have been better for a number of seasons.
"United has a great history, but in the last five or six years, I think we have been superior to them," Kolarov told talkSPORT.
Despite his bold claim, Kolarov has said that his side must assert their authority at the Etihad Stadium to claim all three points.
He said: "It is a great game to watch or play in - I think every player in the world would like to play this game.
"Obviously they have changed their manager and bought a lot of great players.
"I think they can do a good season in the Premier League but I think we are playing at home and we have to show that."
Kolarov joined Manchester City in 2010 and has since made 92 appearances for the Premier League champions.
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