*** Stoke v City - FA Cup Round 4 Official Match Thread ***

[AG7]

Rumours on Twitter that it could be a delayed kick-off due to Snow ... can anyone confirm that?

Saw the highlights of the League away game against Stoke ... reason Mancini played the likes of Maicon and Sinclair in it was this came just three days before Real Madrid away ... won't happen today!

Here's my predicted line-up:

Panti
Zaba, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy
Barry, Garcia
Milner, Tevez, Silva
Dzeko

Aguero and Balo both on the bench.

Score Prediction: Stoke 1 - 2 City

[Nigels Tackle]

pub team vs champions?

[Arjan Van Schotte]

thinking of going down and paying in the stoke end unless anyone has a spare?

[steveo_88]

Do you think Stoke will try and play football?

Or will Tony just wear the shop and pick eleven jokers from the pack?

[steveo_88]

pub team vs champions?

That's a disgrace to pub teams across the land.

[AG7]

Club just tweeted: "Early word from Stoke is that they are confident game will go ahead but urge fans to take travel early and take care. More when we get it."

So I guess it is going ahead and on-time as of now ...

[Beefymcfc]

Anybody like to place a gentleman's bet regarding the involvement of the ref?

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

Anyone like to place a bet that Joke will deliberately try to injure our players, so helping out the the Govan piss-can on behalf of the shell-suited gimp?

[Beefymcfc]

Anyone like to place a bet that Joke will deliberately try to injure our players, so helping out the the Govan piss-can on behalf of the shell-suited gimp?

Nope, that's a dead cert.

[Slim]

39 joans onboard so far.

[Beefymcfc]

Last 5 games at the Brit under Mancini:

2012-13

1-1

2011-12

1-1

2010-11

1-1

2009-10

1-1 (FA Cup - 3-1 after ET)

1-1

Is it time to break the whoodoo?

[Slim]

Or we get the draw and bring the tie back home.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

Anybody like to place a gentleman's bet regarding the involvement of the ref?

It's Webb! 2 sendings-off for us, 3 penalties and a couple of unseen elbows on one or two of our players for them.

[Beefymcfc]

Or we get the draw and bring the tie back home.

It'd be nice but I'd still like to see us get the monkey off our back.

[AG7]

I can live with the draw ... if they can't win outright (read: if they are not allowed to by the ref) ... just don't lose by a single goal at the very end please!

[AG7]

TEAM NEWS

Pantilimon
Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov
Garcia, Barry
Milner, Tevez, Silva
Dzeko

SUBS: Hart, Clichy, Rodwell, Sinclair, Aguero, Rekik, Lopes

[Blue Since 76]

Why Pants in net against a team like Stoke? He never looks comfortable on crosses to me, despite being 17' tall.

[Ted Hughes]

Or we get the draw and bring the tie back home.

It'd be nice but I'd still like to see us get the monkey off our back.

A draw would appear to be the most likely outcome (along with Howard Webb shitting on us).

I really hope we win, as I don't fancy a cold night of Stoke in the near future.

[Mark Garrett]

Good side picked.

Would prefer Hart in net but Pantillimon tends to get the nod in early League and FA Cup rounds.

Nasri is ill, Balotelli may be sold and would never be up for it away at Stoke on a cold Saturday. Where is Nastasic, surprised he is not on the bench?

Height-wise we have the personnel to hopefully deal with that problem in Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov and Garcia all good headers of the ball. Dezeko aswell.

Sensible to leave Sergio on the bench as we have 3 games this week and he is only just back from injury.

[AG7]

STOKE: Sorensen, Shotton, Shawcross, Huth, Wilkinson, Kightly, Whelan, Nzonzi, Etherington, Walters, Jones