Smells like team spirit…

I really enjoyed that City performance on Boxing Day – I thought it was really well-rounded team performance in a sometimes-bruising encounter that showed real unity.

Nearly every single player played well in their own way (I have seen further criticism of Rodri from some City fans on-line) but special mention has to go to in-form Joao Cancelo and Nathan Ake.

Joao looks a completely different player to the one we saw in the first 6 months after his move and playing in his favoured right-wing back slot last Saturday while Kyle was dealing with his Covid-19 isolation, he was intelligently going forward both inside as well as on the touchline; creating all sort of additional problems for our visitors and gaining an assist for our second & final goal. Perhaps he wouldn’t have been so potent against a more-attacking side but still…

I thought Nathan was a commanding throughout – so dominant in our own box whenever we had to defend and his runs forward in the left-wing back position were powerful and full of real intent too; liking up well with his more-advanced colleagues. I can’t believe the Manchester Evening News reporter only gave him a 7 with an underwhelming write-up that described the Dutch international’s contribution on the night as, “…useful”.

Weirdly – and apart from a couple of really intelligent passes - I thought Kevin was our least effective player and rightly deserved a 6 from the same publication. We need him and his creativity…but I just wonder if he needs a rest as we ‘hit the road’ later today for the 1^st of 3, back-to-back away games.

v Everton

Goodison Park

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 9/11).

Difficulties with this prediction come in the form of ‘late player assessments’ by the manager and his coaching / physio staff on the day of the match with the quick turn-around of games; assessing who has recovered enough to ‘go again’ as well as looking at those who may have a knock or two.

The good news is that after this fixture, the players get a rare, near-6 days before they have to kick-off again so any temptation to rotate in key areas might not be such a big issue.

Fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-6-0 / 4-3-3:

______________________________________________

____________________Torres____________________

Sterling_________________________________Mahrez

 

_____________Foden________De Bruyne__________

 

__________________Fernandinho_________________

Mendy_________________________________Cancelo

 

_____________Stones_________Dias______________

 

 

____________________Ederson___________________

Subs: Steffen, Zinchenko, Ake, Laporte, Rodri, Gundogan, Silva, Palmer, Aguero.

Ederson keep his place ‘between the sticks’.

Same back-4 as Saturday night? Well, I was hovering for some time over the left-wing back position. As I’ve already said, I thought Nathan had a terrific game last time out but I JUST get the feeling that Pep will want to give Benjamin a run-out for this one; stretching the home side as much as possible and, perhaps, taking some emphasis off Joao on the opposite flank after his notable display at the weekend. Similarly, I was gonna slot Aymeric ‘in there’ alongside John who will be keen, I’m sure, to take his good form to his ex-club. However, if they’re both deemed to have recovered well enough, I think Guardiola will stick with the pairing that’s working so well at the moment. Dias to partner the England man once again.

Here’s another one that I dithered over – to go with (ever present in the league?) Rodri or to predict Fernandinho being ‘given the nod’? In the end, the fact that the Spanish midfielder got a bit knocked around less than 48-hours earlier – together with the high number of minutes he’s seen this season so far – I’ve gone for the veteran Brazilian to start instead, in a dedicated, deep-lying protection role.

It’s all about the attack after that with Raheem, Ferran & Kevin all being asked to start again; supplemented by rested Phil & Riyad, I would think, in a fluid, attacking 5.

Zack continues in his role of reserve keeper in the league; Oleksandr, Nathan & Aymeric are the defensive replacement options from the side, which definitely has a left-sided look to it. Rodders, Ilkay, Bernardo, Cole & Sergio are the midfield / wing / attacking back-ups in ‘the 9’. I get the feeling that Sergio will get a few more minutes this evening if the game situation suits; likewise, Kevin might get withdrawn as soon as is possible ahead of Sunday’s trip to London.

Notable absences:

-       Eric Garcia – Injured and going off the initial assessment, he could be back in contention in the next 5 days or so.

-       Kyle Walker – Still isolating after testing positive for Covid-19.

-       Gabriel Jesus – For Gabriel, read Kyle.

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

Considering the need for rotation, I'm happy with that.

Result? Our hosts’ season started with a BANG and had pundits asking a very early question about their title credentials. Then the wheels started to wobble and it seemed to take a good while to stabilise them. Well…they’re well-secure now.

They’ve hit form for sure and, as I’m prepping this piece on Sunday 27^th December, they sit proudly in 2^nd place.

This is also a ground that, for a good while, was a real thorn in our side and although we appeared to overcome that for the most part as we improved over time; it’s still a fixture that has me, at least, frowning in doubt whenever it appears on the horizon. Their form and league position has done nothing to help my underlying doubts going into this clash…

They have good players too and…purposely avoiding going through several of ‘em; I want to single out Dominic Calvert-Lewin – a player I wouldn’t mind seeing change colours from dark blue to sky blue. I think he has a bit of everything, 23-year-old England international – a high work rate, great attitude and a fine ability to score with both feet as well as being a real ariel threat. I’d love to see either him or Erling Haaland being the subject of a serious pursuit by our club; if not in January-coming, which is highly unlikely, then in the summer of 2021…

But that’s enough about them…

Not only are we also in good form but I really like how solid as a unit we are and I don’t just mean our good defensive record; one that’s so superior to most other teams in the league. Although we might have lost some dynamism when compared to recent seasons, the whole side is playing well as a unit at the moment and has been for some weeks, as we began to gain traction.

Out hosts do have some notable injuries and have an even shorter turn-around time than we do, following their 6:15pm (GMT) KO time last Saturday.

Before the Newcastle game I was glancing over to this fixture with a preliminary result of a "draw" in my head but the more I look at it as the time ticks towards KO (8:00pm GMT), I’m changing my mind. I think we’re gonna bring all-3 points back from Merseyside.

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: The good news for players, officials and 2,000 Toffees fans that are allowed in Goodison Park at the moment is that it’s gonna be dry. “Cold” is the theme of the evening and the steady temperature throughout the match of just 1C is probably gonna feel more like just below zero as it comes with a light but steady-also north / north-easterly breeze. Plenty of players opting for gloves and, perhaps, long sleeves too, I would guess…

Manchester City v Newcastle United…

…and Christmas Day illness news was a bit of a blow to Pep’s plans, I’m sure.

v Newcastle United

Etihad Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 6/11).

Fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-6-0 / 4-3-3:

______________________________________________

____________________Sterling___________________

 

Torres___________________________________Mahrez

____________De Bruyne_____Gundogan____________

 

_____________________Rodri_____________________

Mendy__________________________________Cancelo

 

_____________Stones_________Dias_______________

 

 

____________________Ederson____________________

Subs: Steffen, Zinchenko, Ake, Laporte, Fernandinho, Foden, Silva, Delap, Aguero.

Ederson in net.

With recent news of Kyle’s illness coming through on Christmas Day, Benjamin is likely to come in on the left side of the defence while Joao reverts to his more-natural position of right-wing back. John & Ruben almost pick themselves in the middle of the defence at the moment.

Surely we’re not going to go with more than one defensive midfielder for this game and if that’s the case, Rodders is the likely candidate to get that job this evening.

Having said that, I think Ilkay gets a starting place too but, I would suggest, in a more advanced role alongside Kevin. Ferran & Riyad get the ‘wing jobs’.

With news also that Gabriel will be missing due to illness, Raheem is likely to be the central, focus point up front; albeit perhaps in a deeper / floating capacity as his teammates all endeavour to get the much-needed goals too.

Steffen is the reserve keeper; Oleksandr, Nathan & Aymeric are the defensive replacement options from ‘the 9’. Fernandinho, Phil, Bernardo, Liam & Sergio provide the midfield / wing / attacking choices from the side. I could be wrong about Liam Delap getting a place on the side, which could go to either Adrian, Cole or Tommy. My logic is, however, that surely the Premier League 2 player of the month for November ‘gets the nod’ from our manager as our already-thin striking department practically disintegrates in front of our eyes…

Notable absences:

-       Eric Garcia – Injured for another week, going off the initial assessment.

-       Kyle Walker – Isolating after contracting Covid-19. Not only will he miss this game but also our league fixtures against Everton & Chelsea.

-       Gabriel Jesus – For Gabriel, read Kyle…and I hope that both players - plus two other staff members who tested positive also - have either no, or just mild, symptoms and that they all have no long-lasting health issues.

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

Not exactly – for this one I’d go Phil for Ilkay & Bernardo on the right for Riyad. For me, that would give us more ‘punching power’ going forward but without compromising defensive duties. Other than that, that looks decent to me.

Result? Despite the late injury news, which can definitely be classified as a, ‘significant blow’ particularly with such a tightly-packed fixture list (I hope Cancelo can recover well in-between games), it’s a City win for me.

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: Having rained fairly consistantly from around 4:00pm, the rain turns much heavier around kick off time (8:00pm GMT). We do have an excellent pitch, of course, but the forecasted, night-time deluge could make for a slippy pitch, which may affect the play in some ways – we might see some mistimed tackles. 8C isn’t going to feel at all like that in the hard rain and to make things a little worse, the wind is gonna blow-in strong from the southwest. Lovely…

I hope everyone had a great day yesterday and that you all continue to enjoy the festive / holiday period in whatever way you prefer.

 

Stay safe and enjoy the festive footy period too!

 

Strange one…

Two sides who are, in their own ways, ‘off colour’ find themselves head-to-head in the quarter final of the League Cup.

Sounds like another recipe for uncertainty with regards to how it’ll ‘play out’…

Quick word on last Saturday’s game

Much better, in general, especially in the second half; where I thought we looked much more assured.

Still some sloppy passing AND still hesitating / faltering in front of goal – I thought our hosts could / should have had a couple but I thought we should have had another 3. A 1-4 or 2-4 result wouldn’t have been a scoreline to-have misrepresented the game.

I think special mention has to go to the whole back-4 and, further up the pitch, Bernardo Silva.

I think, though, there was room for at least a cameo from Phil Foden towards the end without upsetting the balance of the side, which might have given us that extra goal cushion. He must be one frustrated, young-England footballer at the moment…

v Arsenal

Emirates Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 7/11).

Fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-6-0 / 4-3-3:

______________________________________________

____________________Sterling____________________

Torres___________________________________Mahrez

 

____________Foden___________De Bruyne_________

 

__________________Fernandinho__________________

Mendy__________________________________Cancelo

 

_____________Stones__________Dias______________

 

 

_____________________Steffen____________________

Subs: Ederson, Walker, Ake, Laporte, Gundogan, Silva, Aguero.

Zack likely to ‘step in’ for this competition ‘between the sticks’.

Benjamin to come in at left-wing back; John & Ruben to continue their partnership in the middle of the defence, I would guess, and Joao to ‘go again’ also; this time in the right-wing back role.

Fernandinho to be our one & only defensive midfielder? That’s what I’m going for.

An attacking 4, then, of Ferran on the left; Phil SURELY to ‘get at go’ in the middle alongside Kevin with Riyad on the right.

Raheem, I think, might get a more-central / roaming job tomorrow night.

Ederson takes a step back as reserve keeper; Kyle, Nathan & Aymeric are the defensive replacement choices from the side. Ilkay, Bernardo & Sergio are the midfield / attacking options in ‘the 7’.

Notable absences:

-       Eric Garcia – Injured for another week to 10 days.

-       Oleksandr Zinchenko – Not selected.

-       Rodri – Not selected / rested.

-       Gabriel Jesus – Injured? Being assessed, apparently, on a jaw / tooth issue. Might make the match-day squad…dunno.

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

Yeah, looks alright to me. I'd choose Silva over Mahrez on the right but, then again, I'd prefer to see Bernardo used in the league for the moment at least.

Result? A side struggling to score but also struggling to win verses a side struggling to score but finding more-positive results and something more like their ‘true selves’. Going off that premise it’ll be close, I’m quite sure of it, but I think it’ll be us who’ll progress into the semi-finals.

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

Prediction: N/A

Result: N/A

Expected weather conditions during the game: Very mild for a night-time KO at the back-end of December at 11C…but that’s where the good news ends for the players and key-stadium workers. On an already damp pitch following a fairly dull ‘n’ wet Tuesday; wet stuff falls throughout the match, albeit not heavy. Just a light, southerly breeze, which shouldn’t be felt in the high-sided, enclosed stadium.

 

Just not good enough…Pep.

I was rubbing my hands in anticipation on Tuesday afternoon; really looking forward to seeing my beloved Blues in action in the league on a Tuesday night. Then, at around about 7:10pm, I saw the team line-up.

My jaw flopped open and after scanning ‘the 11’ for a third & final time, my head dropped and my heart sank a little.

Where was the attacking threat available to us…where was the true width?! The answer was that a lot of it was sat on the bench and guess what…they weren’t even used!

This is what I wrote on one site the following morning as my disappointed refused to subside…

Foden being played out of his best position; no Torres or Silva. A real lack of attacking threat & pace at home against a struggling side. I do blame Pep for this one and agree with another poster - some of the players look a little frustrated.

Thankfully, other teams are dropping points too and the top half of the table is SO close. We have a game in hand over most too. There’re the positives.

But if Pep doesn't start picking better 11s and putting round pegs in round holes then I hope, at least, that we don't wait until the summer to bring in an additional creative spark to help Kev in that department and / or more firepower in January. God knows we need it...surely Pep does too.

Over the last few weeks, I have been sitting back and shaking my head whilst looking at the increasing number of disgruntled Blues (assuming they are of course) posting comments about how dull we have become as a team and how Pep has lost the plot; with a lot suggesting that it’s time for a managerial change. WAY over the top comments, I was muttering to myself.

However, although I fall WAY short of calling for Guardiola’s head, I think the Spanish boss does need to give that part of his anatomy a serious wobble; take a good look at himself in the mirror and ask his reflection…could he be picking better with the talent at his disposal and ask himself WHY we’ve gone from a side full of gusto to one that looks so plodding for long-periods of time.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that as the ‘fizz’ has gone flat, the goals have dried up…

77% possession last Tuesday and for what?! 26 shots but only 7 of them heading into the goal before being blocked / saved – that’s nearly 1 in 3 shots off target!

Huhhhh…

v Southampton

St. Mary's Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 8/11).

Fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3:

____________________Carson____________________

 

 

Walker________________________________Zinchenko

____________Steffen_________Mendy______________

 

____________________Aguero____________________

Ederson__________________________________Jesus

 

_____________Silva___________Mahrez____________

 

 

___________________De Bruyne__________________

Subs: Cancelo, Laporte, Stones, Ake, Dias, Fernandinho, Gundogan, me, my wife.

Okay, I’m (still) letting my frustration out by being just a…LI-TTLE bit sarcastic here. Huh…it did actually cross my mind for a fleeting moment to post this line-up to Pep with a note that would read: “Ee-arr Pep, give this a go you balloon!”.

Deep breath…

v Southampton

Fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3:

____________________Jesus____________________

 

 

Sterling________________________________Mahrez

__________De Bruyne________Silva______________

 

_________________Fernandinho_________________

Cancelo_________________________________Walker

 

_____________Laporte_______Stones_____________

 

 

____________________Ederson___________________

Subs: Steffen, Mendy, Ake, Dias, Rodri, Gundogan, Foden, Torres, Aguero. Yes…9 subs allowed now…

Ederson keeps the ‘glove spot’.

I don’t know why but I’ve just got a feeling that Aymeric might get popped back into the starting 11. John to partner the Frenchman; Joao & Kyle either side.

Fernandinho – just get a feeling he’ll get a start as the defensive midfielder. Ahead of him, a quartet of Raheem, ‘a must’ Kevin, Bernardo & manager favourite, Riyad.

Gabriel continues ‘up top’…and continues his search for goals.

Zack the reserve keeper; Benny, Nathan & Ruben are the defensive replacement options from ‘the 9’. Ilkay, Phil, Ferran & Sergio are the midfield / wing / attacking choices from the side; the latter only having re-joined training today having-had-to miss out for 2 days because of more injury concerns (God we (still) need another striker!).

Notable absences:

-       Eric Garcia – Injured for another 1-½ to 2 weeks.

-       Oleksandr Zinchenko – Injured - both reason & length of time out still unknown at this stage.

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

No…not-now for this game. It’s time we pressed the accelerator and, for that, I’d go…

Fluid 4-5-1 / 4-3-3:

_____________________Jesus____________________

 

 

__Sterling______________________________Torres__

___________Foden______________Silva____________

___________________De Bruyne__________________

Cancelo_________________________________Walker

 

_____________Stones__________Dias_____________

 

 

____________________Ederson___________________

Subs: Steffen, Mendy, Ake, Laporte, Fernandinho, Rodri, Gundogan, Mahrez, Aguero.

I nearly went for Zack starting in net because I get the feeling that Ederson needs a little ‘reset’. But I didn’t…

Cancelo is in form and, so for me, he gets the left-wing back slot. Kyle on the right is a ‘no brainer’ in my eyes and in-between those, I think you’d be wise to stick with something that has been working.

Kevin is NOT a defensive midfielder here – I’ve not put one in. He’s depicted as the slightly-deeper-lying midfielder because, in this line up, I can see him being the one to ‘pull the strings’ and pick the passes; perhaps swapping / sharing that role with Bernardo too. Phil has the energy to both harass & disposes the opposition as well as attack and…“attack” is the word here – plenty ‘in that 11’ to drive at Southampton’s defence with pace.

Need to then change that? Well, that’s why Fernandinho, Rodri & Gundogan are on the bench.

Notable absences:

-       Eric Garcia – Injured for another 1-½ to 2 weeks.

-       Oleksandr Zinchenko – Injured - both reason & length of time out still unknown at this stage.

Result? I’ve watched a fair few minutes of Southampton this season for some reason and I like what I’ve seen for the most part. I think they have a lovely balance of a strong, organised defence generally (although that can have its bad moments) and various attacking threats; all mixed in with a very good work ethic.

I’ll come straight to it – this is a draw for me (I hope I’m wrong in the right way of course because we now find ourselves in a position where even a win won’t pull us into the top 4…and it’s Christmas in a week’s time!).

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

Prediction: Win

Result: Lost

(Pre-match blog posting from that game)

Expected weather conditions during the game: Dull…and that’s the forecast on our football at the moment. Sorry, I’ll stop now and will ‘shake it off’. Sunshine & showers is the flavour of the day on the south coast with a rather stiff, south-westerly breeze blowing-in of the English Channel. 11C is the rather mild temperature for mid-to-late December – that’ll be the wind direction for you…

Weather update for Southampton at 7:26am on 19.12.2020: Strong gusts of winds are now forecasted throughout the game of 40+ MPH. Keep the ball on the floor fellas!

Some personnel changes and what…

…MUST start to change also is more goals and more ‘points on the board’ for the rest of this month and next, which sees a fair number of very winnable fixtures amongst 3 slightly-more-tricky league games.

There’s definitely an opportunity to start that change tomorrow night (8:00pm KO GMT)…

v West Bromwich Albion

Etihad Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 9/11).

Fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3:

____________________Jesus____________________

 

 

Torres___________________________________Silva

___________De Bruyne_______Foden_____________

 

__________________Gundogan___________________

Mendy_________________________________Cancelo

 

____________Stones__________Dias______________

 

 

___________________Ederson____________________

Subs: Steffen, Walker, Ake, Laporte, Fernandinho, Sterling, Aguero.

Ederson who, I thought, had a poor ‘kicking game’ at the weekend in a match where he had little to do otherwise, keeps the gloves.

A back 4 of Benjamin, John, Ruben & Joao.

Ilkay has the deeper midfield role; Ferran, Kevin, Phil & Bernardo the more-attacking personnel in the midfield / wing department.

Gabriel continues ‘up front’.

Zack, who might now be ‘rubbing his hands’ to take over the No.1 spot, sits on the side for now at least as reserve keeper; Kyle, Nathan & Aymeric sit with him (social distancing of course) as defensive replacement options. ‘Our skip’, Raheem & Sergio the likely midfield / wing / attacking choices from ‘the 7’.

Notable absences:

-       Eric Garcia – Injured for another 2 to 2-½ weeks.

-       Oleksandr Zinchenko – Injured – both 'reason for' & length of time out are unknown at this stage.

-       Riyad Mahrez – Not selected / rested.

-       Rodri – Not selected / rested.

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

Looks good to me, with a lot of attacking / creativity ‘in there’.

Result? A quick look at the league table and at West Brom in particular tells the story of The Baggies’ woes. 1 win in 12; scoring just 9 and conceding 25 leaves the Midlands’ side 2^nd bottom.

It’s 3 points to the home side for me and, hopefully, a fair number of goals flying into the visitor’s net too.

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

Prediction: N/A

Result: N/A

Expected weather conditions during the game: A ‘nothing sort of evening’ in many ways - chilly, at 6C; dry and hardly a breeze.

The Trafford v Manchester derby

v Manyoo

Scaffold Trafford

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 8/11).

Fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-2-3-1 / 4-3-3:

_____________________Jesus____________________

 

 

Sterling__________________________________Mahrez

__________________________De Bruyne____________

___________Gundogan___________________________

_____________________Rodri_____________________

Mendy___________________________________Walker

 

_____________Stones__________Dias______________

 

 

____________________Ederson____________________

Subs: Steffen, Cancelo, Laporte, Foden, Silva, Torres, Aguero.

Ed back in net.

A back 4 likely to be Benjamin, John, Ruben & Kyle.

Rodders is the main defensive midfielder, I would say, but with help-also from Ilkay in a dual role; Kev the more advance / attacking of the middle trio. Raheem & Riyad are the ‘wide men’.

Gabriel on top of the tree.

Zack steps back to be the reserve keeper; Joao & Aymeric are the defensive options from the side. Phil, Bernardo, Ferran & Sergio are the midfield / wing / attacking subs in ‘the 7’.

Notable absences:

-       Eric Garcia – Injured and out for about 2 to 3 weeks. If the transfer to Barca is still on, could we have seen his last game for City?

-       Nathan Ake – Not selected.

-       Oleksandr Zinchenko – Not selected.

-       Fernandinho – Not selected.

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

Looks good.

Result? When I look at the league table and, specifically, at both records so far; something stands out for me.

We’ve played the same number of games; they’ve lost 1 more than we have, conceded 6 more goals than us and have a worse goal difference by 4 and yet, despite all of that, they sit 1 place and 1 point ahead of us. Do you know what that says to me? They have a side packed with creative & threatening players who have, on more than one occasion this season, pulled Solskjaer’s team out of the s... and that they’re sitting in a slightly false-higher position than their performances perhaps deserve.

They are, quite frankly, bobbins from defensive midfield backwards and if you can guard yourself against their various threats – not least a certain, but not exclusively, Mr Fernandes – then they are there for the taking.

Their last 5 league results of L W W W W suggest that they have found some form but, as I suspected might be the case in my season prediction piece back in September, they’re very, Grand Old Duke of York this season - when they are up they are up, and…well, you get the idea I’m sure. Last Tuesday’s “down” saw them exit the Champions League.

Are we gonna face a ‘wounded animal’ on Saturday or a team still reeling from that cup departure and, perhaps therefore, still-be ‘out of sorts’; knowing that European football for them for the remainder of the season will be played on Thursday nights?

I was reminded recently that Pep’s opposite number tomorrow evening (5:30pm KO GMT) has won 3 of their 5 meetings but for me it’s all about us - if Guardiola picks the right team, unlike he did the last time we visited M16 in my opinion, and he doesn’t overthink this one generally; this is a City win.

That’s what I’m going for.

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

Prediction: Win

Result: Lost

(Pre-match blog posting from that game)

Expected weather conditions during the game: Just as was the case in midweek, morning & early afternoon rain moves away to leave it dry for the game. 6C dips slightly to 5 as the game progresses and there’s nothing of a breeze worth mentioning that might make it feel colder than that for the players & those working in the stadium otherwise.