Swansea City head to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City this weekend without a manager and winless in their last four Premier League outings.
The Swans have nosedived towards the relegation zone following a poor run of form, which ultimately cost Garry Monk his job at the Liberty Stadium just ahead of this daunting trip North.
Manchester City
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Man City will head into matchday 15 sitting three points off surprise leaders Leicester City, but their form in recent weeks has been shaky to say the least.
Three wins in seven has not done too much to derail the Citizens' campaign, in truth, as top spot in Group D was secured in the Champions League in midweek, while a place in the semi-final of the League Cup also awaits.
Manuel Pellegrini's men are also in a decent enough position in the top flight, too, due to the unpredictable nature at the top this year which has seen every side - bar Leicester - underperform at one stage or another.
Victory over Borussia Monchengladbach last time out, inspired largely by the performance of Raheem Sterling, came at the perfect time for City just days after their worst showing of the campaign at Stoke City.
At the Britannia Stadium last Saturday, the two-time Premier League champions simply fell apart at the back and could quite easily have found themselves three or four down at the break.
As it turned out, a 2-0 loss did not reflect all that badly on them, particularly when considering the fortunes of fallen champions Chelsea down in the lower reaches of the table.
Pellegrini's charges must really click into gear heading into this busiest spell of the season, knowing that next week's meeting with Arsenal is as close to a title decider as you are going to get prior to the New Year.
The Citizens are again without key men down the spine of their side, which proved to be too much to overcome at the Britannia, but on the back of their "best European night" the chance is now there to finally push on and reclaim top spot.
Recent form in Premier League: DWDLWL
Recent form (all competitions): LLWWLW
Swansea City
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Swansea's fanbase may have been pretty much split down the middle over the inevitable sacking of Monk earlier this week, yet chairman Huw Jenkins claimed that he was simply left with little choice following a slump in results.
Last season's record finish in the Premier League looks a long way off at the moment, with the Swans now realistically in a relegation battle at this stage of the term after winning just one of their last 11 games.
Jenkins will at least be hoping that defeat to Leicester City last weekend proves to be the nadir, as the Welsh outfit were carved open far too frequently by the pacesetters in what could - and perhaps should - have been a real rout.
While some on the outside have suggested that the Swansea hierarchy were a little hasty in making a decision, this is one club that can certainly not be accused of getting their appointments wrong too often.
From Kenny Jackett to Roberto Martinez; Brendan Rodgers to Monk, the Swans have a habit of defying the odds more times than not and overachieving on a season-by-season basis.
Now comes their biggest test yet, though, as Alan Curtis - who accused the club's players of letting Monk down - takes caretaker charge of the strugglers some 11 years after doing likewise in the fourth tier of English football.
Things have certainly changed since then, but the bottom line remains the same - Curtis must extinguish the flames while a new manager, potentially Manchester United assistant Ryan Giggs, is brought to the Liberty Stadium over the coming days or weeks.
For a side out of form, there really is no place more daunting to visit at this moment in time than the Etihad, where Man City have won 13 of their last 15 games. Swansea, with five defeats and two wins in their last eight away outings, must also get back on the scoring trail after failing to find the net in seven of their last 11 outings, including four of the last five.
The problems are continuing to mount in South Wales, yet with two big home games to come either side of Christmas, this is not the time for Swansea to feel sorry for themselves at the wrong end of the division.
Recent form in Premier League: WLLDLL
Team News
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Man City remain without key men Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero for this weekend's match, so there will be another chance for Wilfried Bony to shine in the Premier League against his former side.
The Ivorian has struggled since switching clubs in January, but he has scored four goals in the last three meetings between these two sides - three for Swansea and one for the Citizens.
Martin Demichelis will return from his own injury setback, but his - and indeed City's - poor defensive showing at the Britannia Stadium last weekend may force Pellegrini to change things around slightly.
In terms of the visitors, they can at least travel to Manchester with very few injury problems to contend with, as Frank Tabanou is their only definite absentee.
Federico Fernandez and Jonjo Shelvey could both earn recalls, meanwhile, with Curtis perhaps looking to shake things up a little following a poor run of results.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Hart; Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Toure; De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling; Bony
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Naughton, Bartley, Williams, Taylor; Shelvey, Ki; Montero, Sigurdsson, Ayew; Gomis
Head To Head
These two sides have met on 28 occasions, with Swansea edging the overall record thanks to their 18 wins and three draws.
It is a different story entirely in more recent times, however, as Man City have lost just one of the last 10 meetings.
The Citizens have also won each of the four most recent fixtures, scoring 12 goals in the process and conceding five.
This is a game that the returning Yaya Toure will particularly be looking forward to, having struck four times in his last three outings against the Swans.
We say: Manchester City 2-0 Swansea City
Certainly no respite for a down-and-out Swansea side, who must now pick themselves up for a tough afternoon at a ground that they have notoriously struggled at since earning promotion to the top flight. Man City themselves are hardly enjoying the greatest run of form, particularly being made to suffer away at Stoke last time out in the league, but Pellegrini's men have the quality to quickly recover and potentially reclaim top spot by the end of the weekend.
Daniel Lewis
