Preview: Wigan Athletic v City

City look to consolidate their place in the top four this weekend with a trip to Wigan. With so many players having picked up knocks in the past couple of weeks, the options for Mark Hughes are unclear. The same squad who went to Villa could all be available, or injuries could take take their toll on Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Bridge, de Jong, Bellamy and Petrov.

Added to that, Carlos Tevez has only just returned from Argentina, though he was hardly overworked with Diego Maradona’s team selections giving him just the final four minutes of a possible two matches.

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Can City put the pressure on Liverpool for a top four spot?

City have edged ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League, and have a game in hand. With some difficult fixtures coming up for Rafa’s men, could this be the time for Mark Hughes’ side to pile the pressure on?

On current form City are looking good for a Champions League place with 16 points from 7 games. No team has ever finished outside the top four when averaging two points per game. City could lose their next fixture and still be on track.

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Update on George Swan and Louis Hutton moves from Leeds

A report in today’s Times claims that City have agreed to pay £800,000 in compensation to Leeds for the two 14-year-olds, George Swan and Louis Hutton. Previously I’d wrote how the sum had not been revealed by Leeds. City haven’t released any official comment.

It does seem a large sum when compared with City’s reported initial offer of £70,000. One factor may have been the recent tribunal award for Luke Garbutt, who moved from Leeds to Everton. The tribunal set an initial fee of £600,000 which could rise to £1.55 million. However Harding is 16-years-old, and two years can make a big difference in the development of teenagers.

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