The last time Mancini faced County boss Paul Ince the pair were Serie A players at Sampdoria and Inter Milan respectively in the 1990s and the Englishman knows what it is like to come off second best to the Italian.
"He got the ball in the first minute and I flew in at him, dragged my studs down the back of his legs and he gave me a little growl," Ince said on the City website.
"I thought I had got him after that but the next time I went in on him he put the ball through my legs. He did it three times and I ended up getting a yellow card so I stayed away from him after that!"
The draw for the FA Cup fourth round meant Ince could not dodge the Italian forever and Mancini thinks he can get the better of him once again against his League One outfit if City can maintain their recent creative flair.
REPEAT PERFORMANCE
Despite City losing 1-0 at Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday, Mancini is looking for a repeat of the performance.
"I think that when you play away from home, have 65 percent possession and have as many chances in front of goal as we had and still don't win, you can't ask much more of your players," he said on Friday.
City will be without winger Adam Johnson, who has an ankle injury, while the squad has also shrunk this week after the departure of striker Emmanuel Adebayor to Real Madrid on loan.
While Mancini said he might also let midfielder Michael Johnson go in this transfer window, he was reluctant to part with anyone else including winger Shaun Wright-Phillips.
"It is impossible that we can play with 19, 20 players for the next four months," Mancini told a news conference, adding that City did not need to bring in anyone else as his third-placed side chase their first league title since 1968.
The world's richest club should have little trouble overcoming their lower league opponents on Sunday but if Mancini plans on toasting a success, he will have to bring a bottle.
"He (Mancini) said he wants a glass of red wine after the game," said Ince. "So I told him to make sure he brings it because we can't afford it!"
