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Owen Hargreaves is lined up to make his City debut in Wednesday’s Carling Cup tie against holders Birmingham.

The Blues, whose 100 per cent Premier League record fell as they threw away a two-goal lead at Fulham yesterday to draw 2-2, are set to make wholesale changes to their team.

Hargreaves is expected to be on the bench and is likely to be given his chance to prove he is completely over the injury problems which have dogged the last four years of his career.

Mancini will sit down with ex-United midfielder Hargreaves tomorrow to discover if he feels he is ready for his comeback after a fortnight of training with his new team-mates.

Hargreaves has already declared after a summer of intensive training on his own he will be fit enough to play up to 40 games this season.

“I need to speak with Owen and on Tuesday we will decide if he will play, but he probably will. He has been in full training but he is not 100 per cent. He could play maybe 30 to 45 minutes,” said Mancini.

The manager is hoping Hargreaves can help to solve a midfield shortage which he felt contributed to the Blues’ poor second-half show at Craven Cottage.

Mancini admitted he would probably have rested Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry against Fulham had he had injured pair Nigel de Jong and James Milner fit.

Now he will make at least half a dozen changes for the Birmingham game, including a comeback for Kolo Toure.

The Ivorian has not played since February, when a positive test for a specified substance led to a six-month ban after taking one of his wife’s diet pills.

“I will change the team absolutely because I need five or six players resting,” he said.

“We want to keep going in the competition but we also need to change players.

“We also need to recover Kolo and some of the other players.”

Cant wait should be a highlight.
Legend of the modern era in sports science.

I really hope he gets fully fit.

I wonder if we'll see Razak and Hargreaves if Milner and Nige are still doubtful? It will be good to see Kolo in action again too.

Dameerto wrote:I wonder if we'll see Razak and Hargreaves if Milner and Nige are still doubtful? It will be good to see Kolo in action again too.

Was thinking this myself, he could play zabs beside Hargreaves but personally i want to see razak there, my team would be:

Pantimi-whatever hes called

Zabaletta-toure(C)- Savic-Kolorov

hargreaves-Razak

Johnson-Nasri-Balotelli

Tevez

I'd like to see some of the best youngsters on the bench, just in case we get a bit of a cushion in the game & they could come on for a bit & we could see how near/far they are from 1st team quality.

Tbf I would be happy to see anyone though as I won't be here.

Ted Hughes wrote:
Tbf I would be happy to see anyone though as I won't be here.

As in "you're, you're not, you're not really here"? ;-)

Kladze wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:
Tbf I would be happy to see anyone though as I won't be here.

As in "you're, you're not, you're not really here"? ;-)

Well I'll be really there but not really here.

Ted Hughes wrote:

Kladze wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:
Tbf I would be happy to see anyone though as I won't be here.

As in "you're, you're not, you're not really here"? ;-)

Well I'll be really there but not really here.

Ah, I see.
Now I need a lie down.

i want to see gai assulin in the squad.

Dubciteh wrote:

Dameerto wrote:I wonder if we'll see Razak and Hargreaves if Milner and Nige are still doubtful? It will be good to see Kolo in action again too.

Was thinking this myself, he could play zabs beside Hargreaves but personally i want to see razak there, my team would be:

Pantimi-whatever hes called

Zabaletta-toure(C)- Savic-Kolorov

hargreaves-Razak

Johnson-Nasri-Balotelli

Tevez

his name is kolArov for fucks sake )

Duckman wrote:

Dubciteh wrote:

Dameerto wrote:I wonder if we'll see Razak and Hargreaves if Milner and Nige are still doubtful? It will be good to see Kolo in action again too.

Was thinking this myself, he could play zabs beside Hargreaves but personally i want to see razak there, my team would be:

Pantimi-whatever hes called

Zabaletta-toure(C)- Savic-Kolorov

hargreaves-Razak

Johnson-Nasri-Balotelli

Tevez

his name is kolArov for fucks sake )

Irrespective of the spelling aspect, that's a really interesting team and should be far too strong for Birmingham.

Who would you put on the subs' bench, bearing in mind that Ted has suggested some of the youngsters being included there ??

Would anyone play Ned?

Tony P wrote:Would anyone play Ned?

I was thinking about that as well. But only as Mancini said Hargreaves is probably only fit for 30-45minutes which would suggest he will come on as a sub. That means we either can't rest Yaya or Barry and have to play one of them or that one of the defenders will play in midfield. That would probably be Zabba. And that could open the door for him.
We'll see. I reckon Ned won't be in the team though and it's Micah as RB and Zabba in midfield.

Can't see him playing Nasri. If Hargreaves started, I would imagine Bob would play 3 in there to help him out. If he's on the bench, perhaps give one of the kids a shot instead; perhaps Suarez, Roman or Whatsisface.

I'd play Ned.

Moonchesteri wrote:

Tony P wrote:Would anyone play Ned?

I was thinking about that as well. But only as Mancini said Hargreaves is probably only fit for 30-45minutes which would suggest he will come on as a sub. That means we either can't rest Yaya or Barry and have to play one of them or that one of the defenders will play in midfield. That would probably be Zabba. And that could open the door for him.
We'll see. I reckon Ned won't be in the team though and it's Micah as RB and Zabba in midfield.

I'd rather start him till he runs out of steam. What if you put him on after 60 and he only lasts 20 minutes? Plus there could be extra time on Wednesday and the last thing you need is a knackered hargreaves through that

Good luck Owen.

I'd love to see Suarez get a run out, Silva's mini me

Onouha has my vote. Although we need quality on the bench like Baconface does.