Cardiff City vs Manchester City
Cardiff City Stadium
25th August 2013
4:00 p.m BST
The most inexperienced premier league managers face each other in a match that looks fairly one sided on paper. Cardiff City will host their first-ever Premier League fixture when Manchester City travel to the Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday.This will also be the first ever league match between these two teams since they last met in the second tier back in March 1985, 28 years ago.
Manuel Pellegreni could’nt have wished for an even better start when his side kicked off their new season as title contenders in style with a one sided 4-0 victory over Newcastle outclassing them in every aspect of the play.This match also looks like a stroll in the park for his team as nothing less than a win is expected from their star studded lineup. Pellegrini is not expected to make surprise changes to his squad for this game but new-boy Steven Jovetic is expected to make his League debut after he missed the last match with a minor injury.
Cardiff on the other hand stared their season poorly with a 2-0 loss to West Ham but will look to forget that and play well at home and somehow find a way to snatch a point or more from this game,which really looks unlikely against a team of Man City ‘s caliber. Manager Malky Mackay also admitted this fact but also added that he is not afraid of it and his side will look to play the best of their football and be competitive.Cardiff will need stars like Craig Bellamy to step up and produce the goods when needed.Home support can also prove to be a decisive factor in games like this.
TEAM NEWS :
Andreas Cornelius is expected to make his Barclays Premier League debut when Cardiff host Manchester City.The Danish striker missed last weekend’s defeat at West Ham due to an ankle injury. Declan John has been suspended for this match and Andrew Taylor is likely slot in at left-back John Brayford is also likely to make his debut.
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany (groin) will miss the match against Cardiff and it looks like he will remain sidelined for another month. Matija Nastasic will replace him if he ‘s fit.Micah Richards (hamstring) is likely to be out for another week .Stevan Jovetic (hamstring) hopes to be available to make his debut.
PROBABLE LINEUPS:
Manchester City(4-3-3): Hart; Zabaleta, Nastasic, Lescott, Clichy; Toure, Fernandinho, Silva; Navas, Dzeko, Aguero.
Cardiff City(4-3-3): Marshall; Connolly, Caulker, Turner, Taylor; Gunnarsson, Medel, Bo-Kyung; Bellamy, Cornelius, Whittingham.
MATCH FACTS:
Head-to-head
- The last time the clubs met, then-Third Division strugglers Cardiff pulled off a shock 1-0 win over Premier League City at Ninian Park in the FA Cup fourth round in 1994. Nathan Blake scored the winner and Mark Grew saved a penalty from Keith Curle.
- Their last league fixture was in the second tier in March 1985, a 2-2 draw at Maine Road.
- The most common result of any meeting between the two clubs is a draw – 20 of their 47 matches have ended level, while City have won 19 and Cardiff eight.
Cardiff City
- Cardiff are without a win in five league matches. They drew their final four matches of the 2012-13 Championship season.
- But they have not lost at home since a 2-0 Championship defeat to Brighton in February.
- Malky Mackay’s side won a club record 10 successive home league matches from the start of last season.
- Craig Bellamy has now played for seven Premier League teams, a feat matched by Andy Cole, Tal Ben Haim and Wayne Routledge. Only Marcus Bent (8) has played for more.
Manchester City
- Against Newcastle on Monday, City completed 90% of their passes – the best ratio in the division in the opening round of fixtures.
- Sergio Aguero has scored 24 of his 36 Premier League goals at the Etihad Stadium. City are unbeaten in all 27 Premier League matches in which he has scored (W25, D2).
- David Silva’s 15th Premier League goal – in the win over Newcastle – was the first he has scored in the English top flight with his head.
- Yaya Toure has become the fifth Ivorian to play 100 Premier League matches (after Kolo Toure, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Emmanuel Eboue).
PREDICTED SCORELINE :
CARDIFF CITY 1-3 MANCHESTER CITY