Next: Crystal Palace (Home)

[nottsblue]

Once again the strongest eleven available please. Palace are clearly not a top outfit, but they have just won away and have a new manager and players often up their game for a new boss.

I know fixtures come thick and fast but we have a large squad who will all get game time over the season. Let us go with the old adage "one game at a time".

As such my team is 4-3-2-1

Hart
Boyata (feel 2 games in 3 days for Zabba not a risk worth taking)
Kompany Lescott Kolarov
Rodwell Fernandinho Milner
Navas Silva
Dzeko (not worth risking Beast if picked up slight niggle)

Subs: Yaya, Guidetti, Nasri, Nasti, Clichy, Zabba/Jovetic if fit, Pants

Plenty of experience both on field and on bench. Not wholesale changes to 1st team to minimise disruption. Like to see Milner together with Fernandinho in centre with Rodwell given licence to roam.

Start with high tempo and get an early goal and coast in 2nd half if couple of goals to good. No point busting a gut to score 5/6 with another game Wednesday. Take each game as it comes and first and foremost, secure 3 points as ultimately thats all that matters

[ruralblue]

Strong team out for the first half then bring some young guns on once were about 6 or 7 up!!!

[South Stand Balti]

No sign of Jovetic for tomorrow as he has pulled a hamstring so it's a New Year's break for him. I feel sorry for the lad but it's so frustrating too. He is only 23/24 and this could be pretty much the second time he will miss a full season. Hope his luck turns soon

[carl_feedthegoat]

Can we make up the goals that we didn't score yesterday? we would need to win by 6 again to get us our 4 goals average at home.

Thanks.

[Ted Hughes]

Negredo limping off yesterday is a worry but I predicted it would probably happen (without a crystal ball SPOOKY!! How did I guess!!??) & that we need Dzeko to be in form during this period, as if we pick up a load of longer term injuries by over extending players who need resting; we have some hellish periods coming up & we will end up winning fuck all if we put out half baked teams.

Perhaps if we can get a few goals in front, we can give the likes of Guidetti a run out ?

[s1ty m]

Palace are 22-1 on Sky Bet. Amazing odds in a 2 horse race.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

I would be very surprised if Milner,Clichy,Garcia,Dzeko.Nasti didn't play so then it's about fitting 6 others around them to make a team.Boyata also might get a game and Vinnie might insist on playing as skipper add Joe Hart and there isn't much room for the key players. I would throw in Silva,Yaya and Nasri

[blues2win]

We need to show some respect for a Palace who are fighting for their lives. They scored a good goal on a breakaway against Villa and no doubt they'll hope for some joy from set pieces. An early goal could easily lead to a thrashing but the team need to go out there with full determination. This is a great opportunity for Dzeko to show what he can do. How about a hat trick Edin? Very sad about Jovetic. I thought it was a thigh strain not a hamstring. Any intelligence Doug? With Aguero out this was his opportunity and now it's disappearing.

[Tesl]

Given how close all our fixtures are together I'd be very happy if we can come through this one with a win, don't care about the scoreline.

Hopefully we have the squad depth to do it.

[DoomMerchant]

Can't believe no one has started the official match thread yet. Slackers.

[Tim777]

I'd keep much of the same team as Thursday where possible.
The talk about taking this opportunity to rest key players and replacing them with much of the 2nd team does not make sense to me, because (1) all the other teams in the league also would also be "in the same boat" with two/three days break in between league games, (2) this is probably the perfect chance to crack that 10-goal record at home we've been wanting, and (3) we need to maintain our superior difference because of the tight competition, and goal average.
I can understand though the cautionary reasoning behind playing the "2nd" team because we've got Swansea away four days later, but based on the recent upward curve in our away form, I think that the team have the depth and the will to be able to pull it off. And Joe is "back";)
Bringing in untested players at this stage should be left for when we can most afford to, like if we are 4+ up in the final 10/15 minutes of a game (not this one though, we want 10!)

Thanks for the thread AG7.

[Hutch's Shoulder]

I'd keep much of the same team as Thursday where possible.

Based on Pellegrini's comments and previous approach I very much doubt this will happen, at best we will see some of them for a half each and. Rodwell, Nasty, Milner, Clichy featuring, then back to the Liverpool team vs Swansea. I am often wrong, but this is what he had done before.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

Jovetic might make the bench for this one, according to the MuEN

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... er-6449680?

[Breks]

Jovetic might make the bench for this one, according to the MuEN

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... er-6449680?

Thats not what I read, m.e.n stated he is definitely out with a hamstring injury.

[TheBlueCatsWhiskers]

That would not be cool at all. Palace deserve a lot more respect than a League Cup third round team, they're putting results together lately and it's imperative that we get three points given the other fixtures. The notion of starting Guidetti, who hasn't kicked a ball properly in fuck knows when, is madness. This isn't a game to work anyone back in from the start. There's an argument for not playing Zabaleta and Milner at right back is the best alternative but other than that we should be playing the same team that started against Pool (unless Negredo is injured).

Couldnt agree more!

[TheBlueCatsWhiskers]

No sign of Jovetic for tomorrow as he has pulled a hamstring so it's a New Year's break for him. I feel sorry for the lad but it's so frustrating too. He is only 23/24 and this could be pretty much the second time he will miss a full season. Hope his luck turns soon

MEN reporting he may make the bench..

[Bleed_Blue]

Coming from Pellegrini/MCFC :

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Team-news/20 ... ni-preview

There was one boost for supporters with Pellegrini hinting that Stevan Jovetic may be in contention for a place on the bench after his lengthy injury lay-off.

“He (Jovetic) is an important player for us as Aguero is out and we can’t play every game with Negredo and Dzeko,” said City's Chilean boss.

“That is why we split them, as we have to play Crystal Palace, then again Wednesday and Saturday."

“Jovetic will be important, we hope, and can recover soon. We hope in the second half of the season he will do well.”

We’ll have text and audio coverage in our Match Day Centre here on mcfc.co.uk before the game, as well as post-match reaction, tunnel cam and highlights in the evening after the match.


Finally he might get some game time if not tomorrow next week atleast

[Blue Since 76]

Finally he might get some game time if not tomorrow next week atleast

Don't get your hopes up - he'll probably cut himself on his duvet tonight.