Two of the country's most in-form…

…teams coming head to head at Wembley. Sounds to me like a mouth watering treat that we’re all in for. 🍽️⚽😋

v Southampton

Wembley Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game which, for me blog wise, was our fabulous home win against Arsenal: 11/11.

A very fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 (occasional 3-6-1):

____________________Haaland____________________

 

 

__Doku______________________________Semenyo__

 

__________Silva(C)_______________Cherki__________

 

____________________Gonzalez___________________

O’Reilly___________________________________Nunes

___________Guehi_____________Khusanov_________

 

 

____________________Trafford____________________

Subs: Donnarumma, Ait-Nouri, Ake, Stones, Kovacic, Foden, Reijnders, Savinho and Marmoush.

With no game for a full-9 days after this fixture, why wouldn’t our manager put out exactly the same line-up, the injured Rodri aside, that faced Liverpool in the last round? A starting 11 that has gelled so well and is producing great results. Why should he change it just because we’re facing a Championship side?

Rightly or wrongly, I’m going for Pep to think the same in this predicted line-up…

James takes the gloves for this domestic cup competition and if we apply ourselves in the correct manner this evening (5:15pm KO BST) then he’ll be putting ‘em on again on 16^th May.

A back-4, occasional 3, of Nico-O-, Marc, Abdukodir and Matheus.

Although not selected to start last Wednesday despite the absence of Rodri, I reckon Nico-G- will get his chance today, with Jeremy, Bernardo, Rayan-C- and Antoine all in support of Erling up front.

Gigi takes a side seat for this one as reserve keeper; Rayan-A-, Nathan and John provide defensive insurance. Mateo, Phil and Tijjani are a trio of midfielders in ‘the 9’, with Savinho and Omar giving us wide / forward options from the bench.

Notable absences:

-       Marcus Bettinelli – Not selected.

-       Rico Lewis – Not selected.

-       Josko Gvardiol – On the 10^th April, our manager revealed that Josko was getting better, following a long injury lay-off with a fractured tibia, but would take longer to recover. No further updates since.

-       Max Alleyne – Not selected.

-       Ruben Dias – On 21^st April we were informed that the Portuguese international was not yet fit enough to return to action. There was no further update in yesterday’s pre-match press conference.

-       Rodri – Recovering from a groin injury and when asked about the Spanish international on 24^th April, his manager said that he was getting better but wouldn’t be risked for the F.A. Cup semi-final.

Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?

Yes, definitely, but I would hope for us to be in a position at some point, mid-second half, to be able to rest some legs that have seen many minutes recently - despite the 9-day gap in fixtures - and give some time to the likes of Stones, Kova, Phil, Tijjani and Marmoush.

Result?

I’ve got little doubt that a side who is unbeaten since January and riding on the crest of a wave will have their moments to score and may well do so. It would also be ‘very F.A. Cup’ for them to do so first to give their fans – and many neutrals I’m sure – some hope of a cup shock.

It’s also the 50^th-year anniversary of the last time they won this competition and that was against a Manchester team…well, sorry 🙏, from nearby Trafford at least. In fact, Southampton will be wearing a special yellow and blue kit today, as they have done for their previous rounds this season, to commemorate that occasion in 1976.

I think it’s going to be a good game with chances at both ends – when I look at their league record after 44 games played, they are the second top scorers in the division, as I type this on Saturday morning, but have also conceded the second highest amount of goals of the top-6 sides. They sit 4^th in the table with 2 games remaining.

As for us, last Wednesday’s performance was, for me, an expected drop-off in intensity and overall quality after five intense games against Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal x2. Wow! 😮

But it didn’t stop us creating plenty of chances, especially in the second half, and Pep appeared a little frustrated that his players didn’t take more of those opportunities.

Burnley had theirs too on the night, particularly in the first half, and the game ended on a nervy tone; with travelling blues urging the ref to blow his whistle to end the contest. Still, it was a well earned 3-points that put us top of the tree. 🙂

I think we’ll look more energised today and we most certainly have the players with ‘big occasion’ experience. Right attitude against a team from a lower division is crucial, for me, and the rest should take care of itself. I’m having this down as a City win.

Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result:

Prediction: N/A

Result: N/A

Expected weather conditions during the game: What a glorious day. As the temperature slowly builds in the region throughout the day, any white-fluffy clouds will also disperse to leave a beautiful, sky-blue ceiling above. 20C is the official temperature for the area at kick off but I reckon it’ll be closer to 23-24C inside the stadium. Enjoy! ☀️😎🍦🌭🍔🍟🥤💷🍺⚽

Solidarity

Bit between our teeth and…

…chasing down the lead horse.

v Arsenal

Etihad Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 11/11.

A very fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 (occasional 3-6-1):

____________________Haaland____________________

 

 

__Doku______________________________Semenyo__

 

__________Silva(C)_______________Cherki__________

 

_____________________Rodri_____________________

O’Reilly___________________________________Nunes

___________Guehi_____________Khusanov_________

 

 

__________________Donnarumma__________________

Subs: Trafford, Ait-Nouri, Ake, Gonzalez, Kovacic, Foden, Reijnders, Savinho and Marmoush.

I’m going for Pep to pick the same-11 as last time…

Gigi in net.

A back-4, occasional 3, of Nico-O-, Marc, Abdukodir and Matheus.

Rodders, Bernardo and Rayan-C- in the middle in their various roles; Jeremy and Antoine on the flanks.

Erling up top.

James is reserve keeper; Rayan-A and Nathan are two defenders on the side. Nico-G-, Mateo, Phil and Tijjani make up four midfielders in ‘the 9’, while Savinho and Omar give us two wide / forward options from the bench.

Notable absences:

-       Marcus Bettinelli – Not selected.

-       Rico Lewis – Not selected.

-       John Stones – On 10^th April Pep said, of the England defender, that he was taking a step closer to returning to first team action; possible taking part in partial training [same day as that press conference]. There was no update on 17^th April.

-       Josko Gvardiol – On the 10^th April also, our manager revealed that Josko was getting better, following a long injury lay-off with a fractured tibia, but would take longer to recover. No further updates since.

-       Max Alleyne – Not selected.

-       Ruben Dias – On 17^th April we were informed that the Portuguese international was not quite ready to return to action just yet.

Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?

Yep.

Result?

Turning into the final straight, we certainly have now got our second (Third? Fourth?) wind and a good gallop on now. Three different competitions and three teams in the shape of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea resulted in 3 wins, 9 goals scored and 0 conceded; all of which has put wind in our sails as we enter the crucial part of the season.

And it’s a part of the season which appears to be causing some jitters in the postcode area of N7; an area that sits in North London and has a large percentage of its population feeling nervous for more reasons than one.

But we mustn’t focus on how our rivals are feeling; we mustn’t get complacent and we must, instead, remain focused in order to continue the good things that we’re doing and practice improving the areas where we’re falling short.

The first half against Chelsea was a little sloppy – our passing was off and they were causing us a number of problems down our right side / their attacking left. They also had the ball in our net and if it wasn’t for VAR, some Assistant Referees, or “Linos” in old money, may have given that goal with Khusanov leaving a trailing leg that almost kept the attacking Chelsea player onside.

But it was rightly ruled out and we went on to produce a much, much better second half to outclass the home side. There’s still room for improvement in terms our in-match consistency because if we drop-off against today’s opponents like we all-too-often do in one half of games, we are likely to get punished.

“If we lose, yeah, it’s over”. Not my words but the words of our manager last Friday.

So what if we draw? Well, we would definitely need to win our game in hand against Crystal Palace, something we need to do even if we win later today, but I would say that sharing the points this afternoon still gives us a chance of winning the league, especially as Arsenal have Champions League games to contend with in addition to looking wobbly at the moment.

But we’ve got to win this after the way sprung into life in recent games to put even more pressure on today’s visitors – we mustn’t blow it now.

Does is help that, apparently, Bukayo Saka is out with an injury? I’d say so but I have heard at least one Arsenal fan say recently that he is no longer as effective as he used to be…in between quite a number of injury spells it has to be said. Then, just the other day, I heard another Arsenal supporter say that a lot of their stars have regressed over the last 3 or 4 seasons. I dunno...🤷‍♂️

If we perform for the majority of the game like we did in the second half of our last three matches then I believe that we can make it four wins in a row and that’s what I’m going for us to do. It’s a City win for me. 🤞

Goodbye to a legend

It’s official – Bernardo Silva will be leaving us in the summer.

All too often an unsung hero, in my opinion; the Portuguese midfield workhorse even came in for some flack last season from a section of Blues for his lack of creative contribution as the whole team went through its various struggles. I had him down as my personal Player of the Season when I did my usual end of season piece last June.

So versatile and such a quiet, just-get-on-with-it professional but with enough fire in his belly that you need to compete for 90+ minutes. At 32 in August but with a strong body that saw very few minutes in the treatment room, this fella could have done a good job for us for another season but I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing him well.

Thank you for everything, Bernardo.

 

 

Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result:

Prediction: Draw

Result: Drew

(Pre-match blog posting from that game)

Expected weather conditions during the game: After a lovely bright start to the day in the area, light cloud drifts in ahead of the match to perhaps obscure the sun slightly. Dry with temperatures around 11 or 12C. 🌥️️😎🧥🍵🥧🍺⚽

Solidarity

Moving through the gears.

If really does feel like this team is finally clicking, doesn’t it?

I’m not saying for one moment that two back-to-back wins, following defeat to Real Madrid on 17^th March, constitutes “form” or ‘final team-formular success’ but the manor in which we dispatched both Arsenal and Liverpool in the League Cup final and then F.A. Cup quarter final respectively (6-0 over both games) does signal, for me at least, that this team is starting to gel on the pitch. For the most part, we looked very good indeed and certainly deserved both victories…and another trophy. 🙂🏆

No complacency whatsoever today, of course, but the lads must surely be going into this game brimming with confidence.

v Chelsea

Stamford Bridge

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game which for me, blog wise, was our victory at Wembley against Arsenal in the League Cup final: 8/11.

A very fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 (occasional 3-6-1):

____________________Haaland____________________

 

 

__Doku______________________________Semenyo__

 

__________Silva(C)_______________Cherki__________

 

_____________________Rodri_____________________

O’Reilly___________________________________Nunes

___________Guehi_____________Khusanov_________

 

 

__________________Donnarumma__________________

Subs: Trafford, Ait-Nouri, Ake, Gonzalez, Kovacic, Foden, Reijnders, Savinho and Marmoush.

Gigi returns in net, following two domestic cup games on the side.

Rodders is ‘the holder’ in midfield with Bernardo and Rayan-C- ahead of the Spaniard.

Jeremy and Antoine take the flanks either side of Erling up top.

James returns to the bench as reserve keeper for the first of two fixtures before seeing Wembley action once again on 25^th April; Rayan-A- and Nathan are, potentially, just two defenders on the bench. Nico-G-, Mateo, Phil and Tijjani make up four midfielders waiting for their turn, while Savinho and Omar give us two wide / forward options in ‘the 9’.

Notable absences:

-       Marcus Bettinelli – Not selected.

-       Rico Lewis – Not selected.

-       John Stones – On 10^th April Pep said, of the England defender, that he is taking a step closer to returning to first team action; possible taking part in partial training [same day] and could be part of Sunday’s squad. I’m going to guess that he won’t be risked as the season-end gathers momentum.

-       Josko Gvardiol – On the 10^th April also, our manager revealed that Josko is getting better, following a long injury lay-off with a fractured tibia, but will take longer to recover.

-       Max Alleyne – Not selected.

-       Ruben Dias – Following a knock, Guardiola confirmed during the pre-match press conference that the defender’s fitness is improving but will not be involved in the squad for our trip to Stamford Bridge this afternoon, 4:30pm KO BST.

Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?

Yes.

Result?

I have said this a lot over the last few seasons in my various blog postings – I just don’t get Chelsea as a team.

So capable, at times, of beating really good sides but, at the same time, so bafflingly inconsistent and lacking all too often. I’ve also said this on a number of occasions too about their club as a whole…what a shambles of a football club it looks from an outside perspective (Chelsea fans please tell me I’m wrong and / or how it feels from your perspective).

As for their current side’s form? Poor. D D L W L L is their last 6 in the league. During that 6-game league run, they’ve also managed very mixed results in two different cup competitions; losing 5-2 and then 0-3 to PSG in the Champions League but had victories in the F.A. Cup to take them to the semi-finals: 0-4 away at Hull City, 2-4 away at Wrexham and 7-0 at home to Port Vale. Different competitions and opposition class, of course, but even their cup results are all over the place; with 17 goals scored and 10 conceded across those five cup matches.

Anything to be concerned about?

Always – this is a Manchester City team that’s still not close to previous City sides we’ve all enjoyed over the last decade or so; a situation which started to remind City fans, of a certain vintage, of the bad-old, unpredictable days.

Then there’s the fact that our hosts have lost their last 2 league games and therefore, going off their pattern generally, are due a league win.

They have Joao Pedro who, when he has a good day, can be a real handful. He currently has 14 league goals and 5 league assists to his name and is the league’s 4^th-top goalscorer and joint-5^th for assists.

Of course there’s the “ex-City factor” too with sullen-faced Cole Palmer now wearing a darker shade of blue but in order for me not to tempt fate, I’m going to steer well clear of mentioning the…shall we say, below-par season he’s having and form that he’s currently in. I’ve probably said too much there already in my attempts not to irritate the Gods of Footballing Destiny. 🙄🤞

As for us, we look strong, personnel wise, and ‘full of beans’. We could get our cage rattled in front of a home crowd hoping to push their side to a Champions League finish-position in the table (now 5 places) but I’m going for us to silence them in the end.

I’m saying a City win.

Since then…

Since writing most of that by early Saturday morning, Arsenal have been beaten 1-2 at home to AFC Bournemouth; a result that puts a firm wedge in the title door. That was a FANTASIC result for us and has really handed us a massive opportunity. So why does it now make me a little jittery.

It’s probably because we HAVE been handed this chance and because, also, we have shot ourselves in the foot in recent weeks; something which helped to create such a wide points gap between us and The Gunners – I’m thinking Forest at home (2-2) and West Ham away (1-1) in March.

There’s still a lot of work to do and many minutes of football to be played but it is, sort of, in our own hands now; goal difference aside.

C’mon Blues, don’t drop the ball now. 💪

Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result:

Prediction: Win

Result: Won

(Pre-match blog posting from that game)

Expected weather conditions during the game: Quite nice. Sunshine throughout the morning and afternoon before kick off should continue into the match, with just the odd shower passing over as the game progresses. The forecasted temperature is around 12 or 13C. There is a bit of a south-westerly breeze that will make it feel chilly in the shade of the stands so coats are most certainly advised for travelling fans. 😎🧥🍵🥧🍺⚽

By the way…

…this sounds like excellent news.

Solidarity