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October 5th, 2008.
Kick off, 3pm.

Manchester City V Liverpool

City of Manchester Stadium

A huge game at COMS this Sunday and a chance to put the disappointment of the Wigan defeat behind us. We face a side who have been getting results and improving steadily but this is a great opportunity to prove our credentials by taking points off one of the ‘big four’.

It’s been an all or nothing season so far for City with 3 wins and 3 defeats giving us 9 points from 18. Liverpool are unbeaten with 4 wins and two draws and a points tally of 14. Liverpool have yet to concede on their travels and have scored 3 at the other end. At home, City have been free scoring, grabbing 10 goals with 3 goals conceded.

This is a huge game for both clubs but more so for City. The club have real aspirations to push on a threaten the stranglehold the ‘big four’ have on the rest of the Premiership and you feel that motivation for this one certainly won’t be a problem. Liverpool can be ‘got at’ and I expect to see us have a real go at them down the flanks where Dossena and Arbelo have been far from convincing.

Team News

Neither side has any new injury worries and the dilema for Hughes will be Martin Petrov yes or no? A huge yes from me and although it is no doubt a head ache for the manager, he’s a player who must be accommodated. The only doubt is whether or not he is sharp enough to start and I can see City going into the game unchanged.

Liverpool have had a surprisingly settled side so far this season and perhaps we are seeing the first signs of Benitez abandoning his rotation policy. The only doubt appears to be at left back and we may see Aurelio in for Dossena.

Last game

Liverpool

An easy win for Liverpool over their rivals Everton aided by some woeful defending. The game was reasonably close in the first half but two Torres strikes finished Everton off. Noticeable tactically was Liverpool’s use of Keane and Kuyt in the channels and this is something the City defenders will have to be aware of.

City

Daylight robbery at the JJB due to a shocking display from the referee, Steve Bennett. City certainly weren’t at their best but on a level playing field, would have took something from the game. Two crucial penalty calls went a long way to deciding the outcome of this game and City will hope for better luck with officials this Sunday. On a tactical front, no real stand out observations although City did look narrow and vulnerable at times down the left.

One to watch

It seems like stating the obvious but the talents of Fernendo Torres simply can’t be ignored. He has it all in his locker and Dunne and Richards will need to be on their game to combat him. Gerrard will also be a threat but who would bet against Robbie Keane, a players who always hurts us, breaking his Premiership scoring duck?

Robinho is the obvious choice for City and this game gives him a great opportunity to showcase his talents. You can’t help but feel he will be a bigger threat at home than on our travels and I expect a big performance from him. My pick for our main threat though is Shaun Wright Phillips. As previously stated Dossena looks like a player who is still finding his feet in the Premiership and has been shaky. He is yet to face a winger with Shaun’s pace and ability and I expect him or Aurelio to get a torrid time on Sunday.

Last season

The corresponding fixture last season saw a 0-0 score line and a superhuman effort by Dunney who almost singlehandedly kept the scousers at bay. He was magnificent that day and something similar from him may be what’s needed. The away fixture was a dour game which saw Liverpool scrape a 1-0 victory through a single goal courtesy of Torres.

Prediction

Such a close one to call but I feel home advantage will sway this one in City’s favour. The City players will be keen to put the disappointment of Wigan behind them and buoyed by the UEFA win will edge this one. A 2-1 win for City, a Robinho master class and a man of the match performance from SWP!!

With thanks to GityGer of ManCityFans.Net for this preview.

City of Manchester Stadium, 19:45 PM GMT

First Goalscorer Odds: Jo 7/2

City host their home leg of their UEFA Cup tie with Cypriot League 1 side AC Omonia Thursday evening in a match that should see some all out attacking, given that the Cypriot side is down a goal on aggregate having lost their home leg in conceding 2 crucial away goals 2-1 via a brace from Brazilian striker Jo. City need only to show a steady hand to prevent a famous European crash-out that would surely turn the heat up on Mark Hughes after a week of poor results for the newly-minted “richest team in all the land and all the world.” City have become a bit of a media punching bag of late based on poor results by dropping out of the League Cup via League One side Brighton last week, as well as a poor performance against Wigan on the weekend. A performance which lent itself to shouts of poor officiating as the cause of their troubles, but in reality simply masked an inferior effort on the day from the Blues. Will City show the verve and sass which humbled a solid Portsmouth side only 2 weeks ago with a dashing display of showboating and attacking focus?

City will look to capitalize on a set of missed opportunities from the first leg of this tie which should have seen them put 4 or 5 goals in the back of the net, but instead settled for a mildly comfy 2-1 win. Omonia’s seasoned set of journeyman professionals will look to grab an early goal and then hope to shut down the City attack while in search of a 2nd goal to dump their larger opponents out of European football. A difficult task for sure, but one that can’t be taken lightly based on City’s recent run of form.

Previous Game

City (Premier League)

Wigan 2-1 City. City were certainly hard-done by a poor penalty call during the weekend at Wigan, a match they lost 2-1 from Zaki’s resulting penalty. However, City’s lack of focus and determination were the reason behind their loss on the day. City’s inability to deal with the physicality and drive from the Wigan side, who looked to put their mark on the match from the outset by out-running and closing down on the more stylistic and talented City side at every chance. City couldn’t match that energy or effort, much to the frustration of fans, players and the manager alike. City looked ineffective in attack, but still had chances to create a draw or a win with a bit more finishing from Robinho or Steven Ireland. Sadly, neither was up to the task when some of the few chances arrived on another rather bleak day for the City side at the JJB.

AC Omonia (Cypriot League 1)

AC Omonia 2-0 Atriomitos Geroskipou. A brace from midfielder and Cypriort national team captain Ioannis Okkas pushed the most popular Cypriot team to 2nd in their league table, having lost only one match all season in all competitions. That loss of course coming a fortnight ago against City on their home soil.

Last Time Out

City 2 -1 Ac Omonia. City were unlucky not to outscore their opponents in embarrassing fashion, but also had a few close calls which could have resulted in a draw had they not been lucky and careful. In what was a cracking match, both sides attacked and showed a fearlessness we can probably expect in this return leg at City of Manchester Stadium. AC Omonia were not fearful to attack City, and this bravery will be needed if they are to have any chance at making a contest of this and continuing their bold European run.

Injuries

Martin Petrov and Michael Johnson are the still-missing men from the City side, as both their services are not expected to be available due to hamstring and groin injuries respectively.

Key men

Jo - Can Jo continue his run of goal-scoring after banging in a few against Omonia two weeks ago? Jo is odds on favorite to open the scoresheet, and City will be hoping he finds the form to open the scoring early and allow City some breathing room to relax and play their match.

Robinho - The Brazilian showboat will be again on full display, and he proved himself a handful for Omonia the first time out. Can he maintain that form or will Omonia make adjustments based on what they saw from the Wigan match to try and neutralize the crafty midfielder?

Ionnis Okkas — Scoring a brace at the weekend, has the midfielder hit a purple patch which he can exploit against City and provide hope for his side continuing their European run?

Prediction

City 3 - 1 AC Omonia

City should have enough attacking strength to put this match to bed early, and expect more of the same we saw several weeks ago, with a similar lineup and formation deployed by Mark Hughes.

Potential Team Selection: Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Ben Haim, Ball, Kompany, SWP, Elano, Ireland, Robinho, Jo

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Almost 29 years to the day after Manchester City last broke the British Transfer Record when they signed a certain 26 year old Wolves striker, we’ve managed to get a Question & Answer session with Malcolm Allison’s most infamous signing: Mr Steve Daley.

ManCityFans.Net members were invited a couple of weeks ago by their member “Murph” to register their questions for the intriguing interview and it doesn’t disappoint.

Steve kindly answered many questions in great detail about his time before joining the club, his time at the club and what his opinions are on the Robinho transfer and ADUG takeover. One member even asked him to explain the famous corner kick at Old Trafford where he sent the ball all the way back to Tommy Booth on the halfway line… If you’ve been wondering all these years why he did that, now is your chance to find out!

The interview gives a tremendous insight into not only the career of Steve, but also answers many of the questions still on the lips of thousands of City fans all these years on.

ManCityFans.Net would like to thank both Steve and Murph for taking the time out to do the interview and wish Steve all the best for the future.

Remember, there is only 1 place in the world you can read this interview, and the forthcoming one with Kevin Horlock…. www.mancityfans.net.

To go straight to the interview, click HERE

JJB Stadium

Odds: Wigan 9 - 5
City 7 - 5
draw 9 - 4

Will the real Manchester City please stand up, from the sublime to the ridiculous in the space of 4 days is impressive even by our standards and serves to give our new owners the perfect example of what life at Manchester City is all about. Expect the unexpected.
Next stop on the ADUG rollercoaster sees us make the short trip along the M60 to the JJB which has not been a happy hunting ground in recent years, in fact, we are yet to win a premiership game against todays opponents and we will have to be on our game to break that duck. Although our chances of doing so should be significantly increased with the likely return of SWP, Robinho, Richards, Elano & Hart to the starting line up after all being rested in the mid week loss to Brighton.

Previous Game (Premier League)
City
Well what more can be said? A breathtaking display of attacking football saw City brush aside
Portsmouth at Eastlands. First half strikes from Jo (His first in the Prem) and birthday boy Dunne set the tone before second half goals for Robinho, SWP, Evans (his first senior goal - hopefully the first of many) & Fernandes completed the rout. In truth, it was no more than our play deserved and the attacking quartet of SWP, Jo, Robinho and the born again Ireland gave a mouth watering glimpse of what City fans can look forward to this season. Ireland in particular stood out in an all action MOTM display, defending deep in his own half one minute and setting up goals with his sublime range of passing the next. The bar has been raised and the 22 year old is relishing the challenge.

Wigan
0-0 draw away at White Hart Lane to bottom of the table Spurs (I love saying that) continued Wigan’s solid early season form and they can perhaps consider themselves unlucky to only have 5 points on the board so far this campaign. The much maligned Emile Heskey is playing well and Bruce seems to have found a bargain in the young Egyptian striker Amir Zaki who has 4 premier league goals to his name already. Add that to the exciting talents of Palacios and Valencia and our defence will haveto be in top form today.

Last Time Out
A cagey affair which characterised much of City’s form in the second half of the season ended 0-0 with chances for either side few and far between. Both sides will be hoping for much better this time out.

Injuries
No fresh injury concerns for City following our mid-week exploits with Petrov still recovering from a knee injury and a return to action expected in the next 7-10 days. Forgotten man Benjani is nearing fitness whilst Vassell & Bojinov are long terms absentees.

Wigan currently have a full squad available.

Key men
Robinho - His display against Portsmouth was a joy to behold and he has a very good early understanding with Jo, SWP, Ireland, Kompany, Dunn……just about everybody actually. He is enjoying home comforts but today represents his first premiership away game and in the slightly less glamorous sourroundings of the JJB. Bruce will no doubt have identified him as a main threat and he can expect a few robust challenges.
All eyes will be on him today as he looks to prove the doubters wrong and hopefully shut up the “but can he do it on a wet Sunday in Wigan/Bolton/Hull etc” brigade.

Titus Bramble - It took just 30 seconds for him to gift us a goal on our last visit to the JJB and to be perfectly honest, the thought of Robinho going up against dear old Titus makes me laugh out loud. I’m sure that Hughes will be instructing SWP & Robinho to run at himevery chance they get. It’s going to be a very busy afternoon for Mr Bramble and one which he could be having nightmares about for some time if he has one of his many off days.

Prediction
Wigan 1
City 2
We should hopefully have enough quality to edge this one in what should be an open game between two attack minded sides. All together now “Steve Bruce is the elephant man, Steve Bruce is……”

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