***official city v palace match thread***

[Nigels Tackle]

after 9 straight home wins and 37 goals this should be a nailed on 3 points but i've got a funny feeling about this one
hope all the boys are 100% on it come 3pm because you can guarantee that pulis will send the palace boys out with fire in their bellies
a hard fought 2-0
come on city!

[dazby]

I was supposed to write the preview for this but my daughter and a bossy wife has evaporated any time I had allocated to it.

My points were:

*Great win v the dippers
*Great home record
*We are one out and one back in the title race and i expect us to be top by mid January
*For all of Pullis' faults, Palace have made a shrewd appointment
*Jedinak is the fulcrum of Palace, shut him down and the jobs half done
*Jedinak plays better for Palace than he does for Australia
*Expect Pellers to roll the dice with his selections
*Dzeko probable starter, Garcia may
*Will one of Ferny/Yaya be rested?

Prediction 8-2. Dzeko to score 5.

And there you have it. Preview in digest form.

[Cocacolajojo1]

I was supposed to write the preview for this but time and a bossy wife has evaporated any time I had allocated to it.

My points were:

*Great win v the dippers
*Great home record
*We are one out and one back in the title race and i expect us to be top by mid January
*For all of Pullis' faults, Palace have made a shrewd appointment
*Jedinak is the fulcrum of Palace, shut him down and the jobs half done
*Jedinak plays better for Palace than he does for Australia
*Expect Pellers to roll the dice with his selections
*Dzeko probable starter, Garcia may
*Will one of Ferny/Yaya be rested?

Prediction 8-2. Dzeko to score 5.

And there you have it. Preview in digest form.

Great! Quite the opposite to bobby brows' usual effort but variation is always good.

[City64]

Really looking forward to this today . Setting off for the train for a short trip into the city center very soon for beers and banter then onto the Etihad. Great game versus the sad dippers boxing day and most importantly 3 fantastic points with our heads held high . All set up now for us to GO TOP of the league tonight ......... only slight doubts is that boxing day was a very very tough game for our players and today just 48 hours on i feel most will be exhausted so lets just do what we have to do with no more injuries being picked up .

A nice cosy 2-0 and TOP AT 5 pm :-)

[dikdok]

Confidence with CIty = always
Complacency = never (cf Cardiff, Villa, Sunderland,,,)

I would go with as strong a side as is physically possible. Get an early lead and then bring on some of the new boys. Guidetti anyone?

PS I was at the Liverpool match (a round 500miles trip) and Lescott played very well. He is one of our best defenders. I couldn't give a flying f.... if he looks ungainly he gets the job done. Too many people on here are fooled by flash. (probably my 68 years on this earth. I have learned to tell the difference between fur coats and no knickers.)

[Cit.revenge]

I would not put to many changes , Palace is fighting for life it s really importan to open them and then we can rest players.

[Tesl]

I wish people would stop calling for Guidetti, I don't think hes ever going to be a week in/out starter for us, and isn't he nearly 22 already? Players good enough to play for City were usually starting top flight games in their late teens.

Anyway I think we should take the safe option and play for a draw to ensure we go top of the table after today :)

Oh and we should play Silva and Nasri at center half because they look more comfortable on the ball.

[Dubaimancityfan]

I presume the Beast is fit to start and his subbing the other day was just a precaution ??

[Beefymcfc]

Halfway point of the season after todays game.

[sheblue]

I presume the Beast is fit to start and his subbing the other day was just a precaution ??

Wasn't he limping a bit?

[Herb]

Wasn't he limping a bit?

He was hunched down in the oppo penalty area and looking injured before the substitution - and then he limped off. Looked like it could be a problem but I've seen no clue from the club so have fingers crossed in hope of a positive report in the pre-match presser.

[Nick]

nervous as im not going and we never batter teams when i dont go...

also:
- heard we may rest plays which means dzonkey doing fuck all and someone who can't play right back trying to play right back; and maybe even garcia.
-palace just won at villa
-pulis hate us and will be trying to take advantage of complacency.

as soon as we take 1 or 2 of our best players out, we look gash - this happens everytime we bring dzeko/garcia on.

having said that; we should be able to bring in milner and dzeko and still smash them. But i just really don't like to see dzeko playing. He is the laziest player in the squad.

[ashton287]

He was hunched down in the oppo penalty area and looking injured before the substitution - and then he limped off. Looked like it could be a problem but I've seen no clue from the club so have fingers crossed in hope of a positive report in the pre-match presser.

Think it was just a knock aswell as being knackered.

He lay down for a bit and then started limping but he waved the physios away when they came running over and as he walked off he stopped limping after a few steps so don't think he is injured. Deserves a rest either way.

[ashton287]

nervous as im not going and we never batter teams when i dont go...

also:
- heard we may rest plays which means dzonkey doing fuck all and someone who can't play right back trying to play right back; and maybe even garcia.
-palace just won at villa
-pulis hate us and will be trying to take advantage of complacency.

as soon as we take 1 or 2 of our best players out, we look gash - this happens everytime we bring dzeko/garcia on.

having said that; we should be able to bring in milner and dzeko and still smash them. But i just really don't like to see dzeko playing. He is the laziest player in the squad.

Yeah we look absolute shite. Like the time we played bayern with our full team and got absolutely bummed and then battered them with a b team.

[South Stand Balti]

I presume the Beast is fit to start and his subbing the other day was just a precaution ??

Cheesy tweeted after we hammered the dippers that the club said the Beast was just tired. That said I am sure the Count will rest him and play Dzeko given Aguero and Jovetic are injured

[dikdok]

I wish people would stop calling for Guidetti, I don't think hes ever going to be a week in/out starter for us, and isn't he nearly 22 already? Players good enough to play for City were usually starting top flight games in their late teens.

Anyway I think we should take the safe option and play for a draw to ensure we go top of the table after today :)

Oh and we should play Silva and Nasri at center half because they look more comfortable on the ball.

Play for a draw!!? Oh I see you're being ironic....

Players good enough start top flight games in their late teens..... like Tony Book.

[Hutch's Shoulder]

CITY XI: Hart, Boyata, Kompany (C), Nastasic, Clichy, Garcia,Fernandinho, Navas, Silva, Milner, Dzeko

From OS

[Cocacolajojo1]

CITY XI: Hart, Boyata, Kompany (C), Nastasic, Clichy, Garcia,Fernandinho, Navas, Silva, Milner, Dzeko

From OS

What does Rodwell have to do!?

[Tokyo Blue]

DDDDDDEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYCCCCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!

[Mase]

WTF?! Kolarov should be playing!