Manchester City V Stoke City Betting: Saturday 26th December (Boxing Day)

 

Manchester City V Stoke City

 

Saturday 26^th December (Boxing Day) – 15:00 GMT

 

 

Manchester City

 

League Position: 6th

Recent Form: DWDLW

 

(Man City are unbeaten at home all season, winning five and drawing three)

  

Where do we even begin after a turbulent week at Eastlands. As if the seven goal thriller at The City of Manchester Stadium wasn’t enough, City’s mega rich and spoilt rotten owners gave Mark Hughes the Christmas boot on Saturday, less than a week before Christmas. However, it took them no less than 5 minutes to choose a successor, a controversial piece of business, and we will all be treated to a glimpse of their new manager on Saturday, as Roberto Mancini, a manager who has strongly been linked with a move to the Premiership for some time, takes over the reigns from Mark Hughes and aims to guide City not only back into form but also back into top four contention, or so everyone is saying.

  

Roberto Mancini – The Italian is perhaps a manager most neutrals won’t have heard of, unless you’re an avid follower of the Italian Serie A, which, after watching a few games every other week, isn’t something I would recommended. However, he enjoyed great success at his former club, Inter Milan, winning three successive league titles, although it was hard not to considering he had by far and away the best squad in the entire league at his disposal. However, although he had an array of talent at his beckon call, he did know how to get the best out of his players and, instead of being known for their attractive play, because they weren’t at times, the were recognised, under Roberto Mancini, as a very solid outfit and that’s something City are in desperate need of. Mancini built a strong defensive basis for Inter Milan, one which is still in use today under Jose Mourinho, and Mancini, who was actually a striker back in the day, could actually be a shrewd piece of business as we feel he will sure up that shaky City defence.

  

That’s enough with Roberto Mancini for the time being as we weren’t too impressed to see the back of Mark Hughes. Of course, a run of eight draws in nine games probably didn’t help his cause, and the resounding 3-0 defeat at White Hart Lane a week ago was probably the death of him, but let’s not forget that City have lost just twice all season and it was only two weeks ago that Mark Hughes & Co were celebrating a 2-1 victory over Chelsea, the current league leaders. We know they aren’t occupying a top four position, but then again, neither are Liverpool. City are, though, still firmly in contention, despite falling six points behind the top four, but the Blues’ do have a game in hand over everyone above them in the table, bar Arsenal, so that gap could be reduced to just three points, which is nothing based on the bizarre happening already this season.

  

However, there is a famous old adage in football; “You are only as good as your last game”, and, despite an enthralling 4-3 victory at home to Sunderland last Saturday, it does appear that Mark Hughes’ coffin was well and truly nailed at White Hart Lane in that 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, arguably City’s worst performance of the season. We were sad to see him go, as were many City fans, but that’s not to say it wasn’t a correct decision, nor a wrong one. We guess Saturday will provide us with a few quick answers, though, into how Roberto Mancini will go about changing City’s fortunes for the better and whether the Italian can make the instant impact his new, but yet impatient, employer demands.

  

It’s been a long rant from us and we will briefly discuss the form of Man City – or lack of it. The 4-3 win at home to Sunderland last Saturday was a joy to watch and it did end a run of two games without a win for City. It was, though, just their second win in eleven league games. Scoring goals has never been a problem for City this season, with just two trips to Birmingham and Tottenham the only occasions City have failed to score in 90 minutes this season. However, their defence has been a calamity and was, evidentially, Mark Hughes’ downfall come the end. When you hear that Shay Given hasn’t kept a clean sheet in seven games then you know you’ve got a defensive crisis on your hands and that is the case at the present time. In fact, in seventeen completed fixtures this season, City have kept just four clean sheets, and all, bar high-flying Birmingham City, were against teams near the foot of the table.

 

 

 

Stoke City

 

League Position: 11th

Recent Form: WDLDL

 

(Stoke haven’t managed an away goal in almost 300 minutes of play)

  

Tony Pulis will be hoping to fare a lot better as his Stoke side head up to Manchester to a venue they lost 3-0 at last season. However, it was a Robinho hat-trick which sent Stoke to their peril on that occasion, and with the Brazilian looking like a lost sheep at present, perhaps Stoke will feel they have a better chance of taking something away from Manchester this time around, after two miserable failed attempts last season – losing 5-0 at Old Trafford to Man Utd but, more importantly, losing 3-0 at The City of Manchester against Man City, Saturday’s opponents.

  

Stoke fans will feel a little hard done by that their side didn’t manage to take anything away from their trip to Villa Park in a match where Stoke worked tremendously hard. However, regardless of how well they worked, their failure to convert chances into goals cost them… once again, and it’s become an all too familiar sight with Stoke this season, which is a shame because they have grown on me since their arrival into the Premiership last year.

  

To be fair, they don’t even play just ‘Route 1′ football any more, as Tony Pulis has got them playing in an attractive manner nowadays, he just knows when to switch styles for the right games, which is a credit to him. What was even more honourable was that Tony Pulis didn’t set out to simply defend for the full 90 minutes at Villa Park but to actually attack when given the opportunity, and in numbers. That was when Stoke were at their most dangerous in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, when the Potters were on the break. For a side that boasts tall, stocky players, Stoke don’t half get forward in a rate of knots.

 

However, despite Tony Pulis looking at alternative methods into winning games, instead of their boring yet successful ‘Route 1′ style that saw them ease their way to safety last season, his new system of using the flanks more hasn’t paid off as much as he would of hoped, especially on the road. In nine away outings this season, The Potters have found the opposing net on a paltry four occasions, thus managing to concede eleven goals in return. Their apparent lack of fire-power when on their travels has had an unsurprising adverse effect on their away form (1-4-4), with Stoke’s only success away from The Brittania coming against Tottenham Hotspur, one of the shock results of the season to date.

 

 

 

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

 

Manchester City W: 1 Stoke City W: 1 Draw: 0

  

Despite all their millions, City failed to complete the double over Stoke last season, although they did comfortably beat the Potters 3-0 at The City of Manchester Stadium, with Robinho scoring a hat-trick. Stoke did, however, get their revenge in a 1-0 victory back at The Brittania, but they couldn’t get anywhere near City in this very same fixture last term, so will it be a case of Deja Vu for the travelling Stoke City supporters?

  

The only real pattern from last seasons two encounters was that both sides managed to beat each other to NIL at home, and that the second half had more goals than the first.

 

 

 

Match Verdict: Manchester City to WIN – 1.44 Bet365

 

Stoke battled on valiantly on Saturday but the end product is becoming a mass production. Since the end of October, Stoke have lost three of their last four away games and haven’t managed to score in over 300 minutes of play away from home. City, though, will be a dangerous side, not only in a footballing sense but for punters, also, as you aren’t quite sure what you’re going to get with a new manager in charge. The players should be eager to impress their new gaffer, though, and with the wide array of talent at Mancini’s disposal, City should comply at the first time of asking for their new Italian maestro.

 

 

 

Match Odds:

 

Manchester City – 1.44 Bet365

Draw – 4.30 Bet365

Stoke City – 9.50 SkyBet

 

 

 

Fancy a challenge?! - If you’re bored during the Christmas period and fancy chucking a few pennies down the bookies throats, then why not pluck up some courage and try to successfully pick a Stoke goalscorer on Saturday. The Potters have managed just four away goals all season, whilst James Beattie, a player who has had a few niggling knocks and busts up with the manager, tops Stoke’s goalscoring chart with just two league goals, along with three other team mates; Dave Kitson, Ryan Shawcross and Matthew Etherington. However, just Etherington and Kitson have scored for Stoke, out of the four named above, away from home this season, so picking a Stoke goalscorer on Saturday is the closest comparison to finding a needle in a haystack.

 

To score any time on Saturday odds:

 

James Beattie (Stoke City) – 4.50 Coral

Matthew Etherington (Stoke City) – 7.50 Coral

Ryan Shawcross (Stoke City) – 9.00 SportingBet

Tuncay (Stoke City) – 4.50 SkyBet

Ricardo Fuller – (Stoke City) – 4.30 Coral

Mamady Sidibe (Stoke City) – 5.50 SkyBet

 

Our Challenge Pick – Matthew Etherington!

 

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For those of you who fancy yourself against Matt, feel free to send us your challenge selection and those who do beat Matt will get a mention on the related preview. There is no actual prize up for grabs… just bragging rights?!

 

Send us your challenge pick to: challenge@soccerbetting.info