Wigan Athletic v Manchester City preview.

After a very disappointing first half against Liverpool and a distinct lack of cutting edge in the 2nd half, Wigan away is probably one of the best places to go right now for a game to build up your confidence again. I mean that with respect of course, but there is no denying that Wigan aren't having a great season.

They have never been much of a threat to the usual top teams and have finished outside the top 10 all but once since their first season in the Premier League in 2005-06.This season they are currently 2nd from bottom and firmly in a relegation fight with another 5 or so teams, have the joint 3rd worst home scoring record with 10 goals, and 3rd worst home defensive record as they have conceded 2 goals on average in each game.

Although I'm not a fan of Wigan, I do feel for Roberto Martinez as he is one of the more dignified managers in the league despite struggling with the difficulties of the quite obvious financial restraints he has to work within and players he is able to attract.

It is teams such as Wigan that are the ones City need to be consistently beating but since Wigan were were promoted the league record against them isn't particularly great (W5-D3-L5), however after being a bogey team in the past the last 4 meetings have seen City score 9 goals without reply.

City will of course be missing Vincent Kompany (suspended) as well as Kolo and Yaya Toure (international duty). Their are questions over the fitness of Mario Balotelli as he certainly didn't look 100% before being subbed off in the 1st half against Liverpool, and David Silva is the other concern after suffering an ankle injury a week ago.

Despite this, City undoubtedly have the quality to beat Wigan and they must prepare for yet another team to park the bus. When even the likes of Liverpool play with a back 5 and end the game with 6 defenders on the pitch against you it tells its own story about how teams feel about your attacking threat.

Earlier in the season City just brushed this aside but teams are becoming more and more resolute in their defending and it's no surprise that in recent weeks this tactic has yielded results for City's opponents. It's not a tactic Martinez is known to use but I wouldn't blame him or be surprised if he does on Monday night.

With the possibility of Wigan playing on the counter attack, perhaps one of the key players will in fact be Stefan Savic and despite his shaky start and giving away a penalty he didn't have a particularly bad game, but he did look nervous  throughout which is unlike him. Although not tested as often as Kompany in City and Liverpool's previous meeting, Stefan managed to keep Andy Carroll pretty quiet. His performances have been a little mixed but that is to be expected as he hasn't had regular football and it is his first season in the league.

Behind the scenes Vinnie could be a great aid to him at this time as his qualities as club captain stretch beyond match day and onto the training ground. His shoes are particularly large ones to fill but I hope he has a word in Stefan's ear to let him know that the lads are backing him.

I know there are absolutely no easy games in the Premier League and anything can happen on any given day but City really need a good win to kick start their season again after a sketchy run of results. There are also a small number of players in the squad that really need to step up to the mark too after several rather under-par performances.




Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880 or @mcfcDSLeftFoot
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Manchester City v Stoke City

The Etihad Stadium plays host to Stoke City in tomorrow's Premier League fixture. The Potters have won the last 4 games on the bounce, beating an in form Tottenham on the way. City returned to winning ways against Arsenal on Sunday in an enthralling end to end spectacle.

Tony Pulis and his team currently sit 8th in the table and qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League. They are a tough test for any team to face, physically robust and know how to play to their strengths. Although Stoke do have players that can play a bit, they are well known for a certain, very unattractive style of play.

It wasn't particularly surprising when they announced the signing of Peter Crouch from Spurs in the summer. He's exactly the kind of player Stoke want up front as they punt or throw the ball into the 18 yard box. Peter Crouch is Stoke's joint top scorer with Jonathan Walters, both currently on 4 league goals.

Rory Delap is well known for his ability to launch the ball into the box from throw ins, and giving one away within 30 yards from the goal line is as good as giving away a corner. City will have to be fully focused if Stoke get any throw ins or free kicks near the area. If Kompany and Richards play like they did against Arsenal though even the likes of Crouch will have a tough time beating them in the air.

I think it's fair to say that you know exactly what you're going to get when you play against Stoke and to be fair to them, what they do works for them. Whether you like the way they play or not is another thing, but each team has to play to their strengths at the end of the day, and their strengths are their physical presence and set pieces.

I suspect we will see Joleon Lescott returning to the side after missing out on Arsenal. Kolo was likely chosen ahead of Joleon for his added mobility which thankfully shone through after some very lacklustre performances. However, Lescott has much better ability in the air and will be the better option against the aerial bombardment Stoke are likely to try and impose.

We may also see a recall to action from Edin Dzeko in place of Super Mario. Although Mario provides much more flair and an ability to create something out of nothing, Edin has more of a physical presence and is less likely to lose his temper with the physical nature of Stoke's defence. In short, Mario is an easy target and Edin he is a safer option to start with. He's also is due a bag full of goals having not hit the back of the net for over 6 weeks.

The last time Stoke played City was straight after their defeat in the FA Cup final. The result was 3-0 in a rather one sided game. In fact the FA Cup final was a rather one sided game too, although that's not to say the same thing will happen this time round. Both teams have improved since May and will be looking to pick up as many points over the Christmas period as possible.

City (Manchester of course) are unbeaten at home in the last 12 months, and Stoke have lost 4 of their 8 games away from home this season, conceding 16 in the process. This all points to what should be a comfortable victory for Mancini's men after his 2nd anniversary of becoming manager at Manchester City. However, football often likes to throw in a result no one expects. Hopefully that wont be tomorrow.





Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Manchester City v Arsenal

Another big game ahead as Arsenal travel up from London to the Etihad Stadium. The media have taken delight in declaring City's season is crumbling after falling out of the Champions League and suffering their first domestic defeat against Chelsea. All I will say to that is "pffft, get a grip and find something interesting to write about".

Arsene Wenger's side haven't exactly got off to a flying start to the season after selling 3 very important players over the summer. Their defensive record is quite shocking overall, conceding more goals than anyone in the top 7 teams.

This poor record is partly down to their complete and utter capitulation to Manchester United earlier on in the season, but they have only conceded 2 in their last 5 Premier League games. However, their numbers at the back have taken a serious hit and are without a recognised full-back on either side of the pitch.

Unsurprisingly I would say their main threat is Robin van Persie. RVP has almost single handedly kept the Gunners in the top half of the table, scoring 15 or the team's 31 league goals. And they said City relied too much on Tevez last season! I've not heard much (anything) about how van Persie has been carrying the squad from the media, and you wont do either.

Given RVP's goal scoring form, it is a little concerning that City haven't kept a clean sheet for 8 consecutive league games. The absence of Nigel De Jong has certainly showed this season as Mancini has opted for the combination of Barry and Toure in the middle rather than Barry and De Jong with Toure further up the pitch.

On the plus side of this though it has obviously enabled City to be more adventurous despite using the exact same formation as last season as we now have more quality attacking players to choose from. There can be no denying that City's ability going forward has more than made up for less cover at the back.

Talking of cover at the back, Micah Richards is set to return at right-back which is a big boost to the squad. Pablo Zabaleta is likely to move over to the left of defence as Kolarov is still recovering from injury and Clichy is suspended. Other than that, there are no injury concerns at this time.

City are once again favourites with the bookies to come out on top, and despite Arsenal slowly getting themselves back into top form and City's little blip in the league I'd have to agree with them. Arsenal will come and play football, there will be no buses parked in front of their goal. This, coupled with their makeshift defence, could play right into City's strength on the break.

And FIFA 12 predicts...

Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Chelsea v Manchester City

After the disappointment of dropping out of the Champions League the boys at City will be looking to put that firmly behind them as they take on a Chelsea side which appears to be slowly clicking into gear.

Andre Villas-Boas has had a tough ride in England since moving from Portugese side Porto. Billed as the next "special one" by parts of the media, you can certainly see some of Mourinho's influence in the way AVB handles himself with the press. Managing by far the best team in a rather average league and managing one of the top 4-5 clubs in a much more competetive league are worlds apart, as he has quickly found out.

One thing is for sure, the Chelsea side under AVB thus far certainly hasn't been as competitive as in previous seasons. The strength and organisation appears to have left with Carlo Ancelotti and that sees Chelsea currently sitting in 4th place in the league and already out of the Carling Cup.

Both Arsenal and Liverpool have been to Stamford Bridge so far this season, with Liverpool visiting in the league and Carling Cup. On all 3 occasions Chelsea have walked away as the losers, losing 3-5 to Arsenal, 1-2 and 0-2 to Liverpool. Manchester United have also played Chelsea (at Old Trafford) and beat them 3-1. So as you can see, their record against top teams this term is nothing short of abysmal.

They do still pose a threat though as Daniel Sturridge, a product of City's youth Academy, has scored 7 league goals so far this season and is beginning to look every bit the player we thought he would become at City. That is until his massive ego got in the way of things and wanted to move to a big club for the big money.

Patience, as they say, is a virtue and Daniel had none of it and has missed out on the blue revolution here at City. He's probably not bothered though. I suppose we'll have to make do with Dzeko, Balotelli and Aguero eh? :)

Didier Drogba is slowly getting back into form, and looked great against Valencia, but the player that may cause more trouble than any other though is new boy Juan Mata. Mata was one of the players I'd have loved to see City sign in the summer and he's been showing exactly why Chelsea spent £23.5m on the young Spaniard.

Of course, City have their own Spaniard in David Silva pulling the strings on the pitch. New ways of describing David's ability and influence have quickly dried up as they have already been used several times over. As it happens, Merlin or the magician are the two terms most often used now as some of the things he does on the pitch are simply magical.

City haven't shown any signs of slowing in the race for the title so far as they continue scoring almost at will, although a relative goal drought is almost bound to happen at some point. Hopefully it wont start against Chelsea.

AVB stated that if Chelsea lose this game then they are out of the title race. They are already 10 points adrift and face the possibility of being 13 points behind come the final whistle. He may or may not be right, but saying so in public puts pressure on City to perform and 'take out' one of their rivals, and it should also spur on the players at Chelsea to step up their game. I say 'should' as there is the possibility that some may find that added pressure to get a result a little too much. I suppose we'll find out on Monday night.




Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Liverpool v Manchester City

This weekend City fans will be looking for what's described in football as 'bounce-backability' when they travel to Anfield on Sunday. Although City's European form has been very hit and miss (mainly miss), they have been powerhouses in the Premiership.

Anfield is always a difficult place to go and pick up points, as City found out last season, however Liverpool's current form at home isn't exactly outstanding at this moment in time. Out of the 6 games played there in the league they've drawn 4 (Sunderland, Manchester United, Norwich and Swansea) and won 2 (Bolton and Wolves). Of course this means they're unbeaten at home so far but they have only picked up 10 of a possible 30 points.

'King' Kenny will be without Steven Gerrard once again but there are now other major injury concerns for him to worry about. Last season Liverpool's fortunes took a dramatic turn for the better when Dalglish took the reigns again, and they managed to reasonably recover what was potentially a disastrous campaign. The purchase of Luis Suarez turned out to be one of the buys of the season however Andy Carroll was possibly the most overpriced lump of uselessness other than Chelsea's splurge of £50m on Torres.  

This season has been somewhat mixed with them currently sat in 6th place having won 50% of their games so far. None of their strikers have made a fantastic start to the season either. Suarez has is their top scorer with only 4 goals to his name. Carroll and Adam share 2nd place with 2 goals each. In fact when it comes to home form, Liverpool have scored fewer than each of the top 8 teams in the league on home turf as well as Norwich and Fulham also hitting the back of the net more often.

In contrast, City's form home and away has been, well, awe inspiring. They've won 5 and drawing 1 away from home as well as scoring 23 goals in the process. 5 of those goals coming against Spurs and 6 against United. The only down side is that City have also conceded 8 goals on their travels, only keeping 1 clean sheet against Blackburn, and although the squad has raised its game when up against bigger teams in the league this will be something Mancini will be astutely aware of and looking to rectify.

Aguero was rested during the week, only making a 9 minute appearance from the subs bench so I would suspect he will be in the starting 11. Which one of Balotelli and Dzeko makes way for the Argentine is any one's guess, although with Mario suffering from some form of illness in the Champions League it could be him. Micah Richards, Gael Clichy, Gareth Barry and Samir Nasri are all also likely to find themselves back in the squad.

So from what I've said so far, it may look like an easy game but that is certainly not the case. I expect a tough game at Anfield and considering we lost there last season I will be willing to take a draw as an improved result.

Queens Park Rangers v Manchester City

No doubt City will be buoyed by their rather comprehensive win against a weakened Villarreal side in midweek as they go into the game at Loftus Road on Saturday and take on Neil Warnock's Queens Park Rangers.

QPR's Jay Bothroyd has stated that they must "frustrate" City if they are to take anything out of the game. I take that as a thinly veiled way of saying "we have to get very physical with them" so expect to see a few rather tasty tackles going in during the 90 minutes.

That bothers me about as much as it bothers the players, which isn't all that much at all. Manchester City, for all the flair they have are a hugely robust side and are able to tough it out with the roughest of them as we saw against Wolves last week, twice.

In fact we've got a number of players who rather enjoy a physical game. Micah Richards being one of them. Before the demolition derby he was saying that he loved it in the lower ranks at City as you could get more physical with your opponent without having a foul called. Of course we all want to see a game that's officiated in a fair manner. Hopefully Martin Atkinson will do a better job than Stuart Attwell did last week.

This game will also be Sweeps first game against City since moving in the summer transfer window and I'm sure he will get a very warm welcome from the travelling Blues. We all know what he is capable of and I hope just for this game (and any other time we play against him) he has an off day.

I doubt Joey Barton will get the same kind of reaction and I can see Warnock giving him a man marking job on Silva if David plays after he picked up a little niggle in Spain. We've seen a few try it so far this season but none of been very successful in halting the mercurial genius so far. I wonder if the self proclaimed "best English midfielder" can do.

So who will start for City? Your guess is as good as mine really, but it doesn't seem to matter what team Mancini puts out at the moment as they seem to get the job done regardless. The team's performances always seem to produce more headaches for Mancini. By that I mean selection headaches of course and not the kind he inflicted upon himself in Spain after hitting his head on the dugout. 

One thing is certain though, we wont see Vinny in the lineup as he serves his suspension picked up against Wolves last week. We could see Savic alongside Lescott in the centre again. Although he didn't have too much to do against Villarreal, what he did do looked assured. I would certainly take him over Kolo Toure at the moment taking into account the recent performances of both players. But such is the quality and options within the squad we may even see Micah Richards take on a more central role with Zaba on the right.

Gareth Barry was rested in midweek so we may also see a return for him. Barry is one of the players who has really been in imperious form this season. As the forwards have taken the plaudits, it's the players like Gareth who have been doing the water carrying tend to get overlooked. I would say he was by far the best player on the pitch against Wolves and wouldn't think twice about recalling him for QPR.

As for the forward players, I suspect we'll see Edin Dzeko in the starting 11 after being rested for the Champions League, and as Sergio Aguero only came on as a substitute we may also see him start just behind the Bosnian.

I doubt the odds are particularly rewarding if you're betting on a City win, but as always 100% concentration is needed if City are to maintain their form. With the usual faces at the top of the table playing games they are also expected to win it's important that City continue to set the pace at the front of the pack.

Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers

City will face Wolves for the second time this week on Saturday after last night's Carling Cup game. Although it doesn't really have much bearing on Saturday's game, I can't do this pre-match review without having praise for the job the lads did last night. Mick McCarthy's men gave no less than 100% all game but City had too much for them to contain.

Yes there were some school boy errors from the 2 in the centre of defence which I suppose can be down to lack of game time together and over exuberance, maybe. Well a couple of the mistakes can be attributed to that. But as with the Demolition Derby last weekend it's the attacking players that will take the plaudits from last night.

After going 1-0 down in the 19th minute, and with Wolves having the better of the game to that point, the team didn't panic, plugged away, kept the ball and found the goal they needed to get back in the game as the clock ticked past 36 minutes. And what a sweet one it was from Adam Johnson! That was the first of 3 City goals in 3 minutes 42 seconds.

Despite AJ's contribution with a goal and an even better assist, Mancini was still right in saying there are areas where Johnson can still improve. His failure to track back for Wolve's 2nd goal was one point that Mancini pointed out.

"Sometimes [Johnson] thinks 'Okay, in this game I scored one goal, I did an assist, that is enough."

Without a shadow of a doubt, Mancini is right in saying Adam can indeed become one of the best wingers in Europe, he just has to apply himself more throughout the 90 minutes and concentrate more to fulfill his potential. Mancini is a perfectionist and he knows when a player has potential and demands that they give 100% to try and reach it.

The best goal of the night has to be City's 5th. It had the commentators comparing the style of play to Barcelona saying that if Barca had scored a goal like it then 'we'd be waxing lyrical about it' and rightly so.

An ever more impressive Abdul Razak won the ball 18 yards into his own half before putting on a sprint and playing the ball to his right to Nasri. Then followed a lovely 1-2 between Nasri and Dzeko after the Frenchman roamed into the centre outside the 18 yard box before threading a pass to Scapuzzi stood in acres of space on the left of the box. The young Italian then plays the ball back across the goal onto the foot of the oncoming Dzeko. Beautiful stuff.

I've been increasingly impressed with Razak in the centre of the park when he's had his chances so far. Last season he made his debut as a winger and there's no doubt he has good technical ability and pace. He looks fantastic in the centre though, very well disciplined and has shown some great passing and awareness.

City's young players looked quite impressive during the time they were on the pitch. Karim Rekik (16), Denis Suarez (17), Luca Scapuzzi (20) and Stefan Savic (20) are players that have joined the club this summer with Abdult Razak (18) having been at the club over a year.

However, expect none of the starting 11 to feature in the lineup on Saturday. Mancini didn't make 11 changes last night for no reason, so expect a completely different squad at the weekend. That is the scary thing now, although Wolves made 9 changes of their own and were just as physical and demanding as always, City made 11 changes and could still field a squad that scored 5 goals and consisted of no less than 9 full internationals, 1 of which is a world cup finalist.

This is no disrespect to Wolves, as I expect them to be more resolute and physical on Saturday but you've got to look at the players that didn't feature last night and think "WOW".

Of course City can't be complacent in the slightest as although Wolves currently sit 16th in the table having lost 5 of their last 6 in the league, they always give as good as they get when the whistle goes and have players that can cause you problems. The likes of Matt Jarvis, Stephen Hunt and Jamie O'Hara are players who cause problems.

Manchester City v Aston Villa

Thank the heavens that another international break is almost over. Although to be fair, a lot of our lads did do well for their national sides which can only be good for morale and confidence as they look to push ever onwards with the Premier League campaign. We came through relatively unscathed with only Mario Balotelli returning with a new injury which, hopefully, wont keep him out long.

Judging from what we've been fed in the media we could only have one striker available to the game on Saturday. Aguero has a groin strain, Balotelli suffered some sort of back injury in Italy and we'll not mention the 'other one'. On the bright side of that though, although Dzeko's last club goal came in the thrashing City gave Spurs he proved he's no slouch during the international break by scoring a great effort on the edge of the area for Bosnia in mid-week.

City have yet to concede a goal at home this season (domestically anyway) although Villa have a fellow that always seems to score against City, Darren Bent. Most clubs have a bogey team, and some are unfortunate enough to have a bogey player too. Darren Bent has been City's. I don't think anyone would consider him 'world class' but there's no denying that he knows where the goal is. A goal every 179 minutes on average in the Premier League throughout his career is a very good record. 

Villa's other significant goal threat is Gabriel Agbonlahor, and while I think almost everyone chuckled (if not laughed out loud) as Stilian Petrov compared him to the slime-ball that is Cristiano Ronaldo, he is on good form having scored 4 in 7 so far this season and is said to be fit for the game on Saturday.

McLeish's men haven't been poor as they sit in 7th spot at the moment with 11 points from their first 7 games, although they have only won one game since their win against Blackburn at home on August 20th. Even Heskey scored that day.

Needless to say City will be wanting another big win to keep the pressure on at the top end of the table. Goals haven't been hard to come by so far, but if Aguero and Balotelli are out then the pressure is on Dzeko and the rest of the squad to step up. This doesn't seem to be a problem at all right now as 9 different players have scored in the Premier League, 12 if you count all competitions, and there were 4 different scorers in the last game against Blackburn.

The corresponding fixture last season saw City win 4-0 with Balo scoring a hat trick with a tap in at the back post sandwiched between 2 superbly arrogant penalties. Lets hope for a similar result this time round.

Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City

After a disappointing result in the mid-week Champions League game against Bayern Munich, and the other distractions that created, City will be looking to bounce straight back with a good performance against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

Blackburn currently sit in 17th spot in the league with 4 points, 3 of those being gifted to them by 2 Arsenal own goals. Steve Kean has come in for a lot of criticism since taking over from Sam Allardyce and the result against Arsenal may have just give him a little reprieve from the demonstrations calling for him to be sacked. Last weekend's 3-1 loss to Newcastle wont have helped his case though.

The same fixture last season saw City run out 1-0 winners on the day with the solitary goal coming from Edin Dzeko. After his reaction to being subbed on Tuesday though he may find himself starting the game on the bench. This, along with the club's suspension of Carlos Tevez could mean Mario Balotelli gets his first Premiership start of the season.

Balotellit has scored twice in his last two appearances for the club, one against Birmingham in the Carling Cup and one coming off the bench against Everton in the Premier League. By all accounts Mario has been working hard in training to the point where Mancini has praised his attitude in recent club press conferences.  

One positive to come from mid-week was the return of Nigel De Jong and I for one can't wait for him to get back into the swing of things as he is part of the backbone of the squad. This will throw up another problem for Mancini though; Who does he drop from the holding midfield role, Gareth Barry or Yaya Toure? Opinions will be divided over that one I'm sure and it may partly depend on who Mancini decides to play in the left back slot.

There were a few disappointing overall performances on Tuesday and we may see a number of changes made to the squad of Saturday. Once again City came undone with a set piece (which incidentally was offside although you wont find that mentioned anywhere) and the formidable Chris Samba will be one of the players City will need to watch from dead ball situations around the 18 yard box.

Another player that may pose a problem is Ruben Rochina. The Spanish forward joined Blackburn on a 4 year deal from Barcelona last January and has scored 4 goals in his last 6 games in all competitions. Goodwillie and Yakubu make up the rest of Blackburn's striking options.

With teams immediately around City looking likely to win their games it's important that City continue their good Premier League form (tell me you didn't just re-read half of that sentence in Mancini's voice, and if you didn't I bet you have now!). Blackburn have conceded 13 goals in the league so far, 6 of them at home so City should be looking to press home their attacking abilities by hopefully getting a big decent goal difference out of the game at the end of the 90 minutes.

Manchester City v Everton

After 11 changes were made for the mid-week Carling Cup draw against Birmingham, City's '1st' string of players should be fully rested and ready to take on what has become our bogey team of late, Everton.

Even before the transfer of Joleon Lescott there was no real love lost between the two, however since then this fixture has become more like Everton's cup final, but to be fair to them, they've stepped up their game on each occasion. In fact we've only actually beat them once since the win in January 2007 and only got 3 draws in any fixture against them since then. This is something that has to change.

The last fixture saw City dominate the first half but only score 1 goal, then the performance dipped in the second (sound familiar?) and Everton came out fighting and won the game after scoring 2 goals in the 2nd half. If City are to genuinely challenge for the title it's these kind of games we need to be getting positive results in. I know that sounds kind of stupid as you need positive results in all games ideally, and it's that consistency that City lacked last season.

With a tough trip to Germany 3 days later it's unlikely that Mancini will field what many consider to be the strongest squad, but coming 2nd isn't something Bobby ever wants to do so don't expect a weak team to take to the pitch. Lets be honest, can City actually field a weak team at the moment?

In this fixture you can never really say you expect a win given the recent results, but it's got to change some time and there's no time like the present. City, despite their fantastic start, will have to be wary of Everton. The Toffees will be in high spirits as they go into this game on the back of a 5 game unbeaten run (3 Premier League and 2 Carling Cup) have won all but 1 of them.

Perhaps what's quite impressive about their current form is the fact they have had  different 9 goal scorers in those 5 games, although Arteta (2 goals) has left the club for Arsenal. Surprisingly Cahill isn't one of them and with his ability in the air City will have to keep an eye on him in set pieces as that is where City's defence has been asked questions for some time.

Of course City aren't without their own significant threats. Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero have scored 14 goals between them in the Premier League. Even if neither of them start City still have Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli who are both potent goal threats. Which one or two of them will start is anyone's guess though.

What may be more crucial is who starts behind them. Will Samir Nasri and David Silva both start with only 3 days before playing Bayern Munich? Will just one of them start? Or will neither play? Personally I'd say at least one of them has to start as they are easily the 2 most creative players in the squad and link the centre of the midfield to the attack.

James Milner may also start in the centre as he featured as a substitute against Birmingham after recovering from a knock, and City fans will no doubt be wanting to see Gareth Barry back in action too. We'll probably have more of an idea after the press conference this morning although Mancini rarely gives much away.

Fulham v Manchester City

Both Fulham and City go into the game on Sunday having played European games midweek. City played 24 hours before Fulham though and their strength in depth will be a major factor this weekend as we can reasonably expect Mancini to shuffle the pack again.

Fulham have yet to clock up a win in the league and find themselves in 18th after the first 4 games and only 2 goals scored, not what new manager Martin Jol will have wanted. Their involvement in the Europa League is bound to have an affect on their performances this season though as they had to return to competitive games at the end June rather than August like the majority of the Premier League.

Coming up with a starting 11 for City will be almost like trying to pick the winning lottery numbers, Mancini just has so many options at his disposal. Although the centre of midfield is hit with a few injuries at the moment with only Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry the two players match fit, although Pablo Zabaleta can deputise if need be. The biggest question though is who will Mancini pick to start 'up front'? Silva, Nasri, Aguero, Dzeko, Tevez, Balotelli, Johnson are the players available.

Balotelli has yet to start a game this season and has just returned from the trial of one of Italy's crime bosses where he was required to give evidence following his walk around Naples last year. There is (unlike the media will tell you) nothing that links him having any criminal dealings with the Mafia in any way.

The next most rested players are Carlos Tevez and Adam Johnson having only appeared as substitutes in the 2nd half of City's Champions League clash against Napoli. Although Tevez hardly covered himself in glory, and apart from one winding run which came to nothing he didn't appear to be the same player he was last season.

Whoever Bobby picks, it will be a strong team that walks out onto the pitch, and as we also saw against Wigan there may be scope for one of the younger lads to make an appearance from the bench. It obviously wont be anyone that played in the  NextGen Series two days ago but there are several player who weren't involved who may be given the chance. Maybe one of either Jeramy Helan, Frederic Veseli or Abdul Razak?

The same fixture last season saw City produce one of their best performances in the 2010-11 calendar with a 4-1 victory at Craven Cottage with Tevez scoring either side of goals from Zabaleta and Yaya Toure. But despite City's obvious squad depth and blistering start to the Premiership campaign, nothing is ever a given in the Premier League, there are no easy games.

We could be in for another glorious display but with every game the players can never take anything for granted. One thing that Mancini will want to see is the killer instinct that has been lacking for so many years. Against Spurs City took the foot off the gas for a while before Dzeko scored his last minute goal to close the game. Bobby wants to see the team play to score all the time, especially as there is only goal difference that separates City and United in the table.

Manchester City v Wigan Athletic

The international distraction is over and we can get back to business in the Premier League, and this weekend City host Wigan in the 4th game of the season. It shapes up to be Wigan's first big test and they will certainly be up against it with the kind of form City find themselves in.

City have been imperious so far and this was most present against Spurs as they thumped them 5-1 at White Hart lane. Edin Dzeko stole the show by running riot in Tottenham, bagging himself 4 brilliantly taken goals before walking off the match ball. I'll stop the riot puns there before I run away with myself....

Unfortunately City haven't come away unscathed from the internationals. Micah returned to Manchester early due to a hamstring injury although it looks as though he may be fit for Saturday. There are also doubts surrounding Samir Nasri as reports from France are suggesting he has broken a bone in his hand. At the moment there is still no news on whether De Jong has recovered and has any chance of featuring either.

City shouldn't feel too bad though as Mancini was always likely to shuffle the pack ahead of the Napoli game on Wednesday, such is the strength of the current squad.

Pablo Zabaleta can step in at right back if Micah isn't fit. Even Nedum has a chance of getting into the squad despite his mother's horrendously ill-timed and quite obviously vindictive revelations which could have quite easily backfired as far as her son's career is concerned. That was in no way condoning any one's actions by the way, but if you look at the information presented to us at the moment, it appears Ned's mum has serious issues with City's board (other than the email).

Gareth Barry has perhaps been in the best form of his career this season. A ridiculously unsung hero last term and he appears to have upped his game again, looking fitter and sharper for both club and country. While De Jong is out he is undoubtedly the main man for holding the midfield together with the aid of Milner and Yaya.

With Tevez deemed surplus to requirements for Argentina's friendlies he is the most rested of the City strikers so I wouldn't be surprised to see him start. Although a recent interview made it appear he still felt he was club captain, we will know for sure if/when both he and Kompany walk out on to the pitch together this weekend. Personally there is only one choice there, the armband stays with Kompany. 

So far this season Martinez has opted for Franco Di Santo as his first choice up front. Early signs suggest that Martinez was right to put his faith in the 22 year old Argentinean because he has been rewarded with 2 goals in 3 games, both of which were scored against QPR in their first game. This doubled Franco's tally from last year as he only scored once in 25 Premier League games. In fact it's matched his goals 'haul' from the last 2 seasons in the Premiership. Di Santo also assisted Wigan's only other goal so far in the 1-1 draw at home to Swansea.

City should also keep an eye on Rodallega who has scored 19 goals in the last 2 seasons at Wigan. Although he's not prolific, he can still cause a few problems.

As for the result, on paper City should walk it, but football isn't played on paper. The lads can not approach this game thinking it will be a walk in the park because if they do that they are likely to have a tough afternoon. There is no doubt though that if City are in the mood we could be in for another beautiful lesson in football.

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City

This Sunday sees City travel down to London for a showdown with Spurs. It's no secret that City have got off to a great start with back to back wins and scoring 7 in the process, while Spurs on the other hand have had a game postponed due to the riots and then capitulated to United in the 2nd half of Monday's fixture.

Spurs are likely to be without several players as they face an early injury crisis at the club and even if they manage to complete the loan of Adebayor he will not be able to feature against the Blues. City on the other hand have no long term injury troubles to worry about with only Nigel De Jong being a slight doubt for a starting spot after getting a knock against Swansea. Knowing Mancini he will wait for Nigel to be 100% before putting him back into action, such is the luxury of having a squad like City's.

The fixtures against Redknapp's men have been quite tasty of late with both teams fighting for top 4 spots in the last 2 seasons. This season though, City wont just be fighting for a top 4 finish, but will be trying to push for the Premier League title after spending around another £75m in the transfer market.

City came out with a 0-0 draw the last time they went to White Hart Lane, but with them being in such good goal scoring form of late you wouldn't put money on them not scoring on Sunday. Spurs have yet to get off the mark as far as anything positive is concerned and will be desperate to do so after the defeat on Monday.

Quite possibly the most dangerous player in the Spurs team is Dutch attacking midfielder Van Der Vaart. Last season Van Der Vaart notched up 13 Premier League goals and managed 9 assists proving that he is definitely one that the defence needs to keep an eye on.

One duel that could catch the eye is that between Micah Richards and Donkey Kong lookalike Gareth Bale. The Welsh winger drew many plaudits last season, however for as many people who raved about him there were an equal number of people saying that he was simply overrated. Richards has also been on fine form for around the last 12 months and although there have still been murmurings about his positional awareness he is back in contention for an England call up.

City fans will be eager to see the club's latest signing Samir Nasri get his first game, and although he is clearly match fit I think he will only make the bench due to his lack of time with his new teammates.

David Silva will no doubt be instrumental in how City perform and Edin Dzeko will want to continue on his scoring run having scored in his last 4 outings for City.

A City win would be a safe bet on current form, but the game could well prove to be a very open one and closer than would be desired, especially if De Jong isn't in the squad to take care of Van Der Vaart.

Bolton Wanderers v Manchester City

After Sergio Aguero's scintillating debut City fans simply can not wait for the next installment from the Argentinian ace. This will hopefully come no later than Sunday when City take on Owen Coyle's Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.

Bolton finished 14th in the league last season despite spending a most of it in contention for a Europa League place. It was a poor run of 5 defeats at the end of the season which dashed their hopes of European football.

They have got off to a flying start this season, beating QPR 4-0 away from home despite early concerns that they would struggle to score goals after releasing last season's top scorer Johan Elmander and the return of Daniel Sturridge to Chelsea.

Owen Coyle got Bolton playing some very good football last term and looks to have continued that philosophy with the signings of Chris Eagles and Turkish captain Tuncay. Both players can play on either flank or in a more central attacking role. Chris Eagles has already made an impact after his free kick was turned into the back of the net by QPR's Daniel Gabbidon as well as getting an assist to his name for Gary Cahill's fantastic strike.

Bolton are no strangers to the more direct approach though and Kevin Davies is the man for Kompany and Lescott to keep an eye on if they resort to hoofing the ball up field. In all fairness to Bolton though, City should be able to contain the opposing front line as well as last season when they shut them out and kept clean sheets in both Premier League games.

City will of course want to continue to make an early impression on the title race after scoring 4 goals themselves against Swansea. Mancini will no doubt want another high scoring win, as last year's 2nd and 3rd place was decided on goal difference. He often complained that the team lacked that killer instinct and wasted too many opportunities on goal.

For all his ability David Silva was guilty of this, a little too often preferring to unselfishly pass the ball for a teammate to have a go rather than take on the shot himself. It looks as though Mancini has been having words with him this time round as 'Merlin' appears to be hungry for more goals himself. Although he is undoubtedly one of the best at moving the ball about and finding space, if he can add a few more goals per season compared to his tally of 4 in the last campaign, City will undeniably have one of the very best players in the world in their ranks.

Another player looking to continue in his recent form is Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko who has now scored a goal in his last 3 games (Inter Milan, Manchester United, Swansea City). He had in incredible amount of detractors last season and was labelled a flop in certain circles even amongst City fans. He still has those who doubt his ability, but after a full pre-season he is looking sharp and more and more settled at City now. I think I'm safe in saying we can expect much better from him this season.

Manchester City v Swansea City

The Premier League kicks off (sorry for the pun) this weekend, but Manchester City don't face off with Swansea City until Monday. It's Swansea's first ever game in the Prem after being promoted from the Championship last season.

Premier League new boys Swansea should be geared up for their big debut and will be looking to cause a big upset. City however will want to bounce right back from a poor display against close rivals Manchester United last Sunday.

City are, for the first time in over 30 years, considered real title contenders after Sheikh Mansour has transformed them from mid table obscurity to one of the best teams in the country. They will be looking to start the season with a good win in the hope that they can gain some early momentum as they try to mount a serious title challenge.

The City faithful will be eager to see the first Etihad Stadium Poznan and will no doubt want to see it several times during the 90 minutes. A big score and a clean sheet will be the perfect way to kick start a drive for the Premier League title.

Swansea on the other hand will be desperate to get anything they can and City will do well not to underestimate them. For the first few weeks the Swans will be playing off adrenaline and that alone can make for some interesting results. But in all honesty, although no game is easy, City couldn't have asked for a better game to start the season than a game at the Etihad Stadium against the winners of the promotion playoffs.

One thing that is yet to be officially settled is the Captaincy. It is still to be seen whether Mancini will strip Tevez of the arm band, but we will only know that has happened if Tevez starts the game, however after only a week of training it is unlikely. Vincent Kompany has been captain throughout pre-season and City fans will be hoping Mancini shows some backbone and keeps it that way even after the Argentinian returns to full match fitness. 

Another thing that City fans will be hoping to hear confirmed is the debut of record signing Sergio Aguero. After being named on the bench last Sunday it was expected that he would at least get a run out, but that never materialised. He is still doubtful to start but Sergio has said he is fine and has recovered.

As the kick off draws ever nearer, you can expect the David and Goliath comparisons in the media, but I'm sure we'll hear about the money more. And don't forget that Swansea have an excellent team spirit and have the drive and motivation that the harmony in a dressing room perpetuates. And of course it will be pointed out that Carlos wants to leave and that Balo 'hates' Manchester blah blah blah. I'm sure you all know the score on the media front. We wouldn't hear it if it was Chelsea or United would we? Or is that just me being paranoid? 

I would give you a possible starting 11 but despite being right about the team that lined up in the Community Shield, with a squad like City's and the fact that Mancini can make Claudio Ranieri's team selection look consistent, the starting 11 I give you will inevitably be wrong.