MX23RW : Tuesday, April 23 14:33:50| >> :60:2920:2920:
[monks data]
Manchester City logo
Premier League
Jan 18, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Cardiff City logo

4-2

Dzeko (14'), Navas (33'), Toure (76'), Aguero (79')
FT(HT: 2-1)
Noone (29'), Campbell (90')

Preview: Manchester City vs. Cardiff City

Sports Mole previews Cardiff's trip to the Etihad Stadium as former Man United favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to halt Man City's unstoppable home form.

Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the unenviable task of stopping the seemingly unstoppable on Saturday when he takes his Cardiff City side to Manchester City's Etihad Stadium fortress.

Manuel Pellegrini's side have scored 46 goals in the process of winning their last 10 matches at Eastlands and several of those games have been played without top scorer Sergio Aguero, who made a goalscoring return in the 5-0 FA Cup thrashing of Blackburn Rovers.

The 13-goal Argentine striker may get some more game time off the bench this weekend, but Samir Nasri will not feature having been ruled out for eight weeks with knee ligament damage.

His fellow playmaker David Silva is a doubt for the Citizens having picked up a knock in the 2-0 win over Newcastle United, but Yaya Toure is expected to shake off back pain to start in central midfield as City attempt to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 17 matches.

Gael Clichy, Joleon Lescott, Matija Nastasic, Costel Pantilimon and Micah Richards are all probable dropouts from the team that thrashed Rovers, as Pellegrini reverts back to his regular back five, while Javi Garcia may be retained if Toure is unfit but is otherwise likely to be demoted to the substitutes.

Footballing power has shifted in Manchester since Solskjaer's trophy-filled days with the Red Devils, but the Norwegian will be hoping to get one over on an old nemesis and end Cardiff's five-match winless top-flight run in the process.

Magnus Eikrem could be in line for a full Bluebirds debut after making a cameo in the defeat to West Ham United, and another Solskjaer signing, Mats Moller Daehli, is in contention to feature for the visitors.

Craig Bellamy is another whose second-half introduction last weekend improved Cardiff's display, and he is expected to make his first Premier League start since November 9 in place of Peter Odemwingie.

Jordan Mutch and Andrew Taylor remain sidelined, while Mark Hudson, back in favour under the Welsh outfit's new manager, should get the nod ahead of Ben Turner to partner Steven Caulker in defence.

Recent form

Man City: WWWWWW

Cardiff: LLDLLW

Possible starting lineups

Man City: Hart; Zabaleta, Demichelis, Kompany, Kolorov; Navas, Fernandinho, Toure, Milner; Negredo, Dzeko

Cardiff: Marshall; Theophile-Catherine, Caulker, Hudson, John; Noone, Whittingham, Medel, Eikrem, Bellamy; Campbell

Sports Mole says: 4-1


ID:130835: cacheID:130835:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6251:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Sam Allardyce manager of West Ham United looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal at Boleyn Ground on December 26, 2013
Read Next:
Preview: Cardiff vs. West Ham
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal33235577265174
2Liverpool33228375324374
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves33127144653-743
12Fulham34126165054-442
13Bournemouth33119134860-1242
14Crystal Palace3399154256-1436
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton33108153448-1430
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3337233188-5716


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!