Preview: Blackpool v Manchester City
City make their first trip to Blackpool since January 1999 and the Division 2 promotion campaign. It’s great to see how far both clubs have come since then and hopefully Roberto Mancini can unleash a refreshed squad to secure another victory.
The international break may have provided a bonus for City, in giving Blackpool’s euphoria following victory over Liverpool a chance to die down.
The seasiders have only managed a single point at Bloomfield Road but that doesn’t mean City can afford a repeat of the sloppy performance we saw against Newcastle. Ian Holloway’s side will look to attack and we’ll need to be on our mettle at the back.
“Jerome Boateng should be at one hundred percent for our next game because he’s had another two weeks training since he last played.”
This is just as well as the German was far from impressive in his last outing. He’ll need to get tighter on his opponent than was the case against Gutierrez.
Mancini has been bemoaning his lack of attacking options from full-back and now has Wayne Bridge to complement Boateng. The concern with Bridge is that he’s unlikely to be fully up to speed. The Europa League game against Lech Poznan may be more suitable for a comeback.
Blackpool are likely to test our full-backs defensively so having Lescott or Zabaleta would be a safer bet. Their lack of attacking prowess should be less of a concern against Holloway’s side. Hitting them on the break is likely to be a big part of Mancini’s gameplan.
With Yaya struggling for form and fitness, and Adebayor pushing for a start, there is definitely an opportunity to shake things up in attack. Add in Tevez’s frustration against Newcastle and we could see both the Argentine and the Togolese in the starting line-up.
Tevez plays the second striker role well, and would bring a greater attacking intent than Yaya does. Alternatives for this position would be Silva and Milner.
Adam Johnson is pushing for a starting place, so there may a temptation to spare David Silva the culture shock of Bloomfield Road and save him for the Europa League and Arsenal. Mancini favourite, James Milner is sure to start after missing out on international duty during the week.
Nigel de Jong is likely to get a few boos following the media reaction to his tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa. However the form of Gareth Barry is more of a concern. He had a poor game for England and is likely to need to be rotated during the busy schedule ahead.
“Micah and Pablo have both recovered and are available for Blackpool, so we are not far off having a fully fit squad.
“It is important we have as many players to choose from as possible with three games in a week coming up.”
With both Adebayor and Tevez we could look to kill the game early on. Ade is due a goal and this could be as good a place as any to break his duck for the season. If City can keep Holloway’s side from building up momentum then we have an excellent chance of retaining second place in the Premier League.
Blue Days line-up (4-2-3-1):
Hart
Boateng – K Toure – Kompany – Lescott
de Jong – Barry
A Johnson – Tevez – Milner
Adebayor
City line-up on our last visit:
Weaver, Crooks, Vaughan, Wiekens, Morrison, Horlock, Brown, Pollock, Taylor, Goater, Dickov ( Russell, 62 )
Subs not used: Bishop, Whitley.
Prediction: 3-0 to City.