The View from the Home End

 

Fairly interesting set of comments for this game, and pretty much echoing what we are saying about team selection, and what exactly The Count will do. As always with this kind of timing, these comments are from before and after our game on Tuesday. For the record, the Saints have a fully fit squad for the game (apparently). Should be an interesting afternoon all around.

COME ON CITY !!!

Team Selection

Forster
Cedric Fonte VVD Bertrand
Wanyama Clasie
Mane Davis Tadic
Long

Referee: Andre Marriner

And the rest…

Interesting this one. If Man Utd win their game in hand, City are only 2 points above 5th and will really need a win. On the flip side, this fixture comes in the middle of a Real Madrid sandwich, with City playing them twice in the space of 8 days…No doubt they will have one eye on the Champions League, I reckon we could get a point if we play to our potential. I’d go with the same team as Villa.

Prediction: 2-1 or 1-1..let’s hope! If Newcastle can draw with them then we should be able to as well at least, however feel 7/9pts is needed in last 3 games for any chance at Europe.

Whatever side they put out it will be a huge test. They have shown they are vulnerable when a team goes for them…Should be a good game..Oh, we will have to score at least twice to get any points IMO

Let’s hope they rest KDB for the 2nd leg against Real!

This is a game for workers. I would rest Tadic and Pelle. Close down hard and hit them with pace…I see 3 points

3 at the back might be an option again for this one. Long running off Pelle with Tadic just behind.

You just never know what City are going to turn up. The one that hammered Stoke, or the one that was holding on against Newcastle…Biggest fear is that they always seem to score a few against us, and we are shipping a fair few in…Really hoping we can catch them at a good time in between Real Madrid matches.

If they rest Kompany and Silva is out then we can definitely beat them.

Full time: 0-0…Good result

Gives them real selection problems. Which is the better bet for CL qualification? League or CL winners?…I think league and we’ll see a pretty well full strength team – but that was a hard game tonight

Perfect result for us really…With MP leaving City, already with a PL medal but no CL, perhaps winning the latter will be his priority. He is obviously not interested personally in next season’s CL qualification, perhaps that will show in his selection of Saturday. Straws, clutching, etc.

Exactly. I don’t understand the logic of prioritising qualifying for next year’s competition over actually winning the bloody thing, especially when you’re only two matches away. Yes, I know, money, but City are hardly paupers.

good result for us, now I think they will rest the likes of de bruyne and aguero to not bottle it at the bernabeu also silva pulled a hammy in the game I think.still gonna be a tough ask to stop sterling, the new teenage striker of theirs or getting through kompany and otamendy or hart

Surely the priority has to be the cup? Two wins away from what they have spent a fortune trying to win…no brainer!

Be very surprised if Aguero, Kompany and De Bruyne start this one. Fingers crossed they don’t

Not sure they will go too weak as they need CL football and their game after ours is Arsenal…Also big difference between 3rd and 4th qualifier wise.

He will be told by the Club what the priorities are…They will rest players for sure but it won’t be like the Chelsea cup game…Virtually all the players they select would get in our first choice team.

I don’t think anyone’s doubting it will be a tough game. They could rest their entire first 11 and still have a better team on paper…The point is we have a better chance if Silva, KDB, Toure and Aguero don’t play.

Really looking forward to the City game, will be interesting to see what side they put out…I personally think it will be a high scoring draw; am going for 3-3.

But they’ll never have more than 25% chance of winning it at this stage (4 other just as competent teams left in it) whereas they can make top 4 finish all but certain if they put their strongest team out in their next couple of league matches.

I don’t personally disagree with what you’re saying, but it’s not a completely crazy position to take the other view – particularly with the negative signals of not making the CL. A lot of the people above are making the assumption that if they prioritise the CL then they will then win it, which is far from the case and there are serious costs to going for it.

Although he’;s part of a club structure that has a goal/strategy for the next few years, Pellegrini is leaving at the end of the season. No matter how much boardroom pressure there may be to favour a high league position (not really sure if this is true or not), at the end of the day he is picking the team. Surely he’d want to go out on a bang by having a good stab at champions league, rather than leaving the club in a good situation for next season when he will not even be manager anymore…Chances are slim, but then again Real Madrid have to win the next leg if any goals are scored in the game. Athletico already 1-0 up but from last year’s Porto experience when everyone said munich were gonners, Guardiola pretty much shut everyone up by thrashing them at home. So who knows – a home victory against bayern to go into the second leg might not mean so much. Still, better than RM having won and Munich having won in terms of city’s cup dreams…I really do hope we manage to do oneon them. Kolarov and Zabaleta deserve to have a good send off from City by having their arses kicked by Mane/Tadic/Cedric/Bertrand. Hopefully Long can run the socks off 60m pounds worth of defenders and Van Dijk will show Bony that good premier league defending can contain players of his level…It will be cracking atmosphere sunday. bring it on!

Imagine how smug MP would feel if he was booted out of the cup winning the UCL, especially if it was against Bayern. City will finish top 4 but even if they didn’t they would prefer the UCL trophy anyway. But as others have said, even if a few players were rested the ones coming in will be decent and raring to go. Still going to be a tough game.

When the boot was on the other foot and we were the heavy favourites in matches in the Championship, if Rickie or Lallana were out injured, it always gave the opposing team such a boost. The same for us if there is no Silva/Aguero etc.

they’re so smug on the man city forums, they propose a reserve line up and still expect to win 3-1, cu**$