Louis van Gaal says the prospect of facing Aston Villa scared him more than the idea of taking on Manchester City at Old Trafford . United will be looking to end a run of four successive Manchester derby defeats on Sunday when City make the short trip across town . Van Gaal lost his first encounter with United 's closest rivals last November , when Sergio Aguero struck the only goal in a 1-0 win for the Blues . Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal insists he is not worried about the prospect of his side facing Man City . Van Gaal , pictured with Juan Mata on Friday , believes Man City will not be as defensive-minded as Aston Villa . Manchester United are currently one point ahead of local rivals Manchester City . But Van Gaal is confident of victory this weekend , stating that he thinks City 's attacking tendencies will work in United 's favour . Van Gaal believes teams that come to Old Trafford looking to scrap for a point are much harder to beat . Van Gaal is so sure of that theory that he spent less time fretting about Sunday 's opposition than he did last week when relegation-threatened Villa came to Old Trafford . ' I had more fear of Aston Villa than Manchester City , ' the United manager said , before adding : 'Aston Villa was more defensive . ' I do n't expect Manchester City shall play so defensive as Aston Villa . Then you need a lot of focus and concentration on our defence . ' A long ball is very difficult to defend . But ( against ) Manchester City , I do n't expect very much long balls . 'It 's another game and that 's why I have less fear against Manchester City in spite of losing 1-0 against them in the last game . ' Ander Herrera scored two goals as Manchester United picked up all three points against Aston Villa . Sergio Aguero scored the only goal of the match during this season 's previous Manchester derby . That is not to say he would not cherish his first win over City . ' I dream of it , every player shall dream of the victory , ' the United boss said . During his nine months in charge , assistant manager Ryan Giggs and club chef Mike Donnelly have taught the Dutchman about United 's rivalries . But if he needed a reminder of the enmity between City and United , he got it this week from his wife Truus , whose hairdresser is a blue . ' I 'm not so often in the city , but when I am there , the people are talking about the derby and even when I come home my wife is saying the things they have told her about this derby , ' Van Gaal told MUTV . 'My wife 's hairdresser is a Manchester City fan so there is a lot of discussion between these two women . ' I like it . You play football for the fans and I hope we can give our fans the victory . ' Bragging rights are not the only thing at stake . Victory would strengthen United 's grip on third place as they would then be four points clear of their 'noisy neighbours ' . A third-placed finish would guarantee direct entry into the Champions League and that is what Van Gaal is aiming for . 'When you win , third place is then reachable and a month ago nobody was thinking about that , besides me , of course , ' Van Gaal said . 'Third is good because you are certainly qualified for the Champions League and then we do better than the goal that was set in pre-season . ' Chris Smalling was sent off during his side 's defeat at the Etihad Stadium back in November . Smalling is heckled by Manchester City supporters as he makes his way off the field . The fact that United and City are effectively battling for third position shows how disappointing their seasons have been . But Van Gaal has warned he will be setting out to land the top prize next year , after making a few additions to his squad . ' I want to improve my selection for the next season . Then we can make a bigger step , ' he said . 'Sir Alex Ferguson has done it before . Jose Mourinho is doing it now . 'Last season he did n't win anything . Now he is winning the title , now I try to do that also . ' United 's run of five straight league victories has moved them above City , who have won just two of their last seven games in all competitions . The fact that City have had the edge on their rivals recently does not seem to bother the Dutchman though . 'That 's not my history , ' he said . 'The last game we played against them and we had a red card in the 39th minute - that is my history . ' Chris Smalling was the man who was dismissed at the Etihad Stadium . The defender earned his first booking for blocking Joe Hart as he went to kick the ball out of his hands , and he was cautioned for a second time for clumsily hacking down James Milner . Van Gaal will remind his players they must stay on the pitch this weekend . He said : 'In such games always you have to control your aggression and we did not do that then , so I hope we have learned from that moment . 'We have had five red cards this year . It 's a record in my career as a manager and that 's not good . '
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is not concerned about CityMan City . He insists he feared facing Aston Villa because of their defensive set-up . Van Gaal dreams of beating rivals Man City in his first Old Trafford derby match . READ : Wayne Rooney renaissance comes at perfect time for Man United .