***Official Stoke Tafia vs Gods Own Matchday Thread***

[Slim]

Proper, six stars.

City for a one goal winning margin as we scream in despair every time they attack or have a set piece and our so-called "defenders" try to play it out from the back.

Edit:Lineup
1. Joe Hart
5. Pablo Zabaleta
14. Javi Garcia
33. Matija Nastasic
13. Aleksandar Kolarov
42. Yaya Toure
17. Jack Rodwell
7. James Milner
35. Stevan Jovetic
8. Samir Nasri
9. Alvaro Negredo

Subs

6. Joleon Lescott
10. Edin Dzeko
15. Jesus Navas
16. Sergio Aguero
25. Fernandinho
30. Costel Pantilimon
38. Dedryck Boyata

[Saul Goodman]

If we win I'm thinking one goal margin too. So, I'll go 1-0 City. But I could just as easily see it going 1-1

[AG7]

C'mon guys, be positive at least ... we all can drop faces later and start Count Out threads after it goes south but to be this pessimistic 8 hours ahead?

I think 1-3 or 1-4 to us :) but than I am the ever-optimist. Up until yesterday I was feeling quite anxious about this game and thinking 1-1 or hell even a 1-0 loss but this morning I feel good about it ... just a vibe I'm getting from watching the gaffer's presser.

[Risby]

My fingers and everything else will be crossed as i pray for a city win. My wife's family are Potters and I can't bare them when they talk nonsense about football.

I will reserve judgement on the score line until I see the starting 11.

[Green & Blue]

Would love to see City give Leslie's Stoke a good battering today.

I know Stoke are a pain in the ass to play but the way people are going on you would think we were playing away at the Bernabeu not the Britannia.If we play any way well we should be comfortable despite our current defensive frailties.

It's very difficult to know what side to expect but with Plzen on tuesday it's anyones guess.

Hopefully Negredo starts today, despite not starting games he has been doing the business when hes got on the pitch.I'm hoping we now have a manager who rewards form and sticks with strikers that are scoring us goals.

[Im_Spartacus]

C'mon guys, be positive at least ... we all can drop faces later and start Count Out threads after it goes south but to be this pessimistic 8 hours ahead?

I think 1-3 or 1-4 to us :) but than I am the ever-optimist. Up until yesterday I was feeling quite anxious about this game and thinking 1-1 or hell even a 1-0 loss but this morning I feel good about it ... just a vibe I'm getting from watching the gaffer's presser.

I agree, don't think Stoke will be quite as hard to beat under Hughes, although they likely will be every bit as brutal as before

[Bridge'srightfoot]

4-0. Kolarov to get all 4.
Easy.

[john@staustell]

3-0 City

[Moonchesteri]

Would love to see City give Leslie's Stoke a good battering today.

I know Stoke are a pain in the ass to play but the way people are going on you would think we were playing away at the Bernabeu not the Britannia.If we play any way well we should be comfortable despite our current defensive frailties.

It's very difficult to know what side to expect but with Plzen on tuesday it's anyones guess.

Hopefully Negredo starts today, despite not starting games he has been doing the business when hes got on the pitch.I'm hoping we now have a manager who rewards form and sticks with strikers that are scoring us goals.

I would be more confident of getting 3 points from Bernabeu than from the Britannia.
If there's a game of football that doesn't suit us it is this game (or away to Gollum's Everton).
But hopefully that's all in the past now that Tracksuit-twat-Pulis is gone.

My prediction is yet another 1 all draw. Negredo to score for us

[Green & Blue]

Would love to see City give Leslie's Stoke a good battering today.

I know Stoke are a pain in the ass to play but the way people are going on you would think we were playing away at the Bernabeu not the Britannia.If we play any way well we should be comfortable despite our current defensive frailties.

It's very difficult to know what side to expect but with Plzen on tuesday it's anyones guess.

Hopefully Negredo starts today, despite not starting games he has been doing the business when hes got on the pitch.I'm hoping we now have a manager who rewards form and sticks with strikers that are scoring us goals.

I would be more confident of getting 3 points from Bernabeu than from the Britannia.
If there's a game of football that doesn't suit us it is this game (or away to Gollum's Everton).
But hopefully that's all in the past now that Tracksuit-twat-Pulis is gone.

My prediction is yet another 1 all draw. Negredo to score for us

Hopefully today is the day we leave the Britannia banana skin behind us, it has to end sometime.I don't think we have managed a bpl win at Stoke, we always seem to draw with them and i do think the Pulis anti football approach played a big part in that.

[AG7]

The last line the Count uttered to press was telling and perhaps sums it up for me ... he was questioned about Stoke's way of play and if he knows this and how he will 'cope' with it to which he replied, something to the effect that it doesn't matter how so ever they play, it matters how we play and that's what his focus is on.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

I honestly think Hughes being there will work in our favor. Them trying to play football has no hope.

[Beefymcfc]

Who's taking the freekicks today, Aleks or Yaya?

From what I've seen of Stoke they're not the same team as they were under Pulis. They look to play good football but they'll still have that mettle going on, especially at home.

This should be a stern task for us and I think it'll be more down to us than it will be them (good going forward or shit in defence). All's I ask is that we see progression in our defensive set-up or at least signs of us getting to grips with the high-line/set pieces.

[Twobob]

We'll be fine (ive had two coffees fromy lucky cup this morning!)

Still expect it to be tight though, 1-2

[london blue 2]

4-0. Kolarov to get all 4.
Easy.

With his right foot

[Bridge'srightfoot]

4-0. Kolarov to get all 4.
Easy.

With his right foot

Don't be ridiculous.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Don't be ridiculous.

With nothing more than a snarl?

[Green & Blue]

Team news

Hart, Kolarov, Nastasic, Garcia(ffs), Zabaleta, Yaya, Milner, Rodwell, Nasri, Aguero and Negredo

Glad to see Rodwell and Negredo getting a start.How on earth Garcia starts again is beyond me.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

Team news

Hart, Kolarov, Nastasic, Garcia(ffs), Zabaleta, Yaya, Milner, Rodwell, Nasri, Aguero and Negredo

Glad to see Rodwell and Negredo getting a start.How on earth Garcia starts again is beyond me.

Garcia is decent in the air. He's hopeless on the ground but since it's 'long ball, pump crosses into the box' Stoke it should (hopefully) be okay.

[Risby]

Team news

Hart, Kolarov, Nastasic, Garcia(ffs), Zabaleta, Yaya, Milner, Rodwell, Nasri, Aguero and Negredo

Glad to see Rodwell and Negredo getting a start.How on earth Garcia starts again is beyond me.

Two lads who have shown little positional sense in the middle of defence! Also, 4-4-2, a system which hasn't exactly set the world on fire for us yet.

Still, we should have enough to beat Stoke (fingers crossed).