After the surprising 1-1 FA Cup draw at the City of Manchester stadium, this postponed Premier League match is bound to be highly entertaining. Just three days ago Stoke travelled to Manchester and their FA Cup hopes looked all but gone when
Shaun Wright-
Phillips netted in the 11th minute. A 58th minute goal by striker
Ricardo Fuller evened out the playing field and the Potters were able to hold on and force a replay at the Brittania Stadium.
The Potters are currently at 12th in the table and will be high on confidence after their performance this weekend. Matthew Etherington and Liam Lawrence were both injured in the match, but captain Abdoulaye Faye could make a return in this match.
Tony Pulis will again encourage his side to play defensively and will hope to get a point at the City of Manchester.
After winning 8 straight home matches,
Manchester City finally ended their streak in lackluster fashion against Stoke City. Motivation will be higher to perform here as a Top Four finish and Champions League places are at stake. The Blues have 2 games in hand and will look to make the most of them as they attempt to dethrone local rivals Liverpool from their 4th place seat. Craig Bellamy and Vincent Kompany are injury casualties while Carlos Tevez will miss the match for personal reasons.
Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz will likely start up front in hopes of making more of an impact against Stoke's injury-ridden squad.
The forced tie this weekend will be on all of the players' minds as they battle it out for the second time in 4 days. With emotions running so high both for the fans and the players, expect many goals to be scored before the final whistle is blown.
Manchester City vs Stoke City
Tuesday January 16, 2010
Kickoff: 8:45 PM (CET)
Venue: Brittania Stadium (Stoke-on-Trent)
Tip: Over 2.5 Goals
Best Odds: 2.10 @ Bet365
