Hart – Parried a fierce shot by Heskey and was otherwise under-employed. 6
Richards (Boyata 83) – Lacked the sharpness of late, which is likely to be a result of having rushed back from injury. Drifted offside a few times, but it was good to see him get the better of Agbonlahor. 6
Continue Reading →City take on Villa with the prospect of a trip to Wembley in the semi-finals looking that little bit more enticing after Reading beat Everton last night. The biggest problem for Roberto Mancini is the effect that injuries and playing twice a week are having on our form.
At the weekend Villa looked a lot fresher in beating Blackburn 4-1 than we did when drawing with Fulham. The midlanders look a stronger outfit than when we beat them 4-0 in December, courtesy of a Mario Balotelli hat-trick.
Continue Reading →Hart – Little to do for large periods of the game. Finally called upon to make a save and it was an impressive one on one to preserve the clean sheet. 7
Richards – Noticeable how Micah brings more aggression to his game than Boateng. An accomplished return after missing the last couple of games. 7
Continue Reading →Thanks to yet another away victory, City go into the game against Villa in good spirits. With Blackpool also paying us a visit at the weekend, all we need to do is bring our away form to Eastlands.
The key for Mancini will be to score the first goal, preferably before any anxiety sets in amongst the crowd. Villa’s spirits will be low after losing at home to 10 man Spurs and an early goal could enable City to capitalise.
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