Manchester City v Cardiff City
Etihad Stadium, City of Manchester
Saturday 18 January 2014
Kickoff: 1500 GMT
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Assistants: L Betts & A Halliday
Fourth Official: Michael Oliver
TV Coverage in UK: No LIVE Coverage
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Right, who said we don't want mid-week games ... the more the merrier ... with nine games to watch in December and now nine again in January, I am in City heaven ... bring 'em on ... who's next?
Opposition
Cardiff sit in the relegation zone (18th in the league table, with 18 points) courtesy of their goal difference ... but one win for them could potentially raise them to as high as 13th so that explains how tight things are in the bottom half of the table ... well, so are they in the top half.
When we last met Cardiff ... they were the newly promoted side playing their first Premier League game at home and we walked right in ... this time however things are a little different. They have lost Malky Mackay ... Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has taken over ... I guess that 'new manager effect' has been used up in his first game in charge of their FA cup tie away at Newcastle, and since then they have lost their league game against a pretty down and out West Ham (at home too) ... so I don't see a very 'confident' or 'new manager' team coming to Etihad this Saturday. Oh, and they'd have seen the game on TV last night, even when we are not playing well, we score 5 at home ... and on Saturday it'll be the first team facing them and not the one they saw yesterday ...
No. 100
A lot of focus in the media will be on our 100th goal of the season ... and I am sure our guys will be hungry to get that ... maybe a little competition within the team as to who gets it ... and that'll only mean we'll be on the attack from the word go and everyone trying to get in first ...
Oh, what's the next magic no. after 100? Can we reach 110 tomorrow itself please??
Team Selection
With people rested last night and next mid-week game being the second leg of the CapitalOne Cup Semi-Final against West Ham (the tie effectively been already won with a 6-0 thumping from the first leg) ... and even the next weekend's game is against Championship side Watford (FA Cup next round, also at home) ... I just don't see why the strongest possible XI won't take the field on Saturday.
Hart back in goal. Zaba, Komps, Demi and Kola to return as back four. Yaya and Ferdy in front of them and Silva and Navas to run circles around their defence. Aguero should start too, being back from injury. Yes, he will need to be brought in slowly and all after injury, but he can rest all he wants in the next West Ham game (or even the Watford game) ...
So the only one position that'll need deciding is who will partner Kun up front? Both Negredo and Dzeko are tired, having played almost all the games in Aguero's absence ... and both are in great form. So who will feel hard done by Aguero's return? Logic would dictate select on form, which'll mean the Beauty and the Beast starting up front and terrorizing Cardiff from the word go. But if Negredo has a little knock or something ... he has obviously worked his socks off in Aguero's absence (well, lately Dzeko too has improved his work rate but still the Beast has done more) and if 'resting' is what's on Pelligrini's mind, then Negredo might be the one rested.
This is where Pelligrini's man management will come in ... Dzeko was visibly upset by the twunt of the journo who did his post-match interview on ITV, but very cleverly dodged his shit and answered very diplomatically. But knowing his history of sulking, demoting him to the bench straight away might need talking to first. If I was Pelligrini, this is what I'd do ... tell Negredo, that he needs to get some rest and start Dzeko with Aguero ... OR tell Dzeko that Aguero needs resting so will only play the first half and you will come on in the second half, when the opposition is more tired too. Basically just put an arm around his shoulder and talk to him rather than shocking him with the team sheet and him being straight back to bench. Thankfully I am not Pelligrini and don't have to deal with this ... but what other Premier League managers won't do to have such headaches as our team is giving the gaffer, eh?
Team Prediction
Hart
Zabba - Komps - Demi - Kola
Navas - Ferdy - Yaya - Silva
Dzeko - Aguero
Yes, yes that's the 4-4-2 as normally explained ... but this is really how they will be playing:
Hart
Komps - Demi
Ferdy
Yaya
Zaba - Aguero - Silva
Navas - Dzeko - Kola
Score Prediction
Manchester City 4 - 0 Cardiff City
Shit, 4 is an absolute minimum at Etihad now, ain't it ... I wrote 2-0, then deleted and wrote 3-0, nah, still didn't look right ... hell, even 4-0 don't look right to me ... this is a shite team down the bottom of the league, we should really be looking at 6/7 here. Happy days, c'mon City!
Other Games
Arsenal takes on Fulham at home at the same time as us, don't expect them to drop any points there ... Liverpool then takes on Aston Villa at home later on in the evening game; again, don't expect them dropping any points ... Chelsea hosts the Scum on Sunday ... would be interesting game as whatever the result we'll be happy, either the rags will lose and we get to laugh a bit more OR they take points off our competition so we'll still be laughing ... Interesting games however for 5th and 6th place teams. Spurs are away to Swansea on Sunday and Everton are away to West Brom (with a new manager, Pepe Mel, taking charge there) ... oh, and Newcastle away at West Ham can win and come right behind (just a point off) the Scum (if they lose at Chelsea) ...
So by the end of this weekend, don't see much change in the top four positions and points differential though and the league table will look simillar to how it is now ... next weekend is the FA Cup Fourth Round ... but the next mid-week (Tue 28th and Wed 29th Jan) will be very very interesting ... Arsenal has to travel to Southampton, we are away at Spurs and Liverpool host the Merseyside derby.
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