Manchester City vs. Sunderland Preview

A draw against a dogged Stoke City at the Brittania meant that Manchester City lost ground on title rivals United - and Roberto Mancini’s men must immediately get back to winning ways when Sunderland visit the Etihad Arena on Saturday March 31 to keep their Premier League dream alive.

With the Red Devils expected to secure a win from their game in hand against Fulham at Old Trafford, City are likely to find themselves three points behind leading into this fixture, a gap which the club will be desperate to bridge in time for the Manchester derby in April – a match which is set to decide the destination of Premier League honours.

Sunderland will represent a stern test for the Citizens, especially after beating them in the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign.

That 1-0 victory came amidst a marvellous run for the Black Cats who thrived at the turn of the year following the appointment of boss Martin O’Neill.

Although Sunderland have held their form relatively well since, they have suffered a couple of notable slip ups and it is possible that the F.A Cup will be their main priority from here on in.

City may have been criticised somewhat harshly for not turning Stoke over, as nothing can be taken away from the Potters who performed exceptionally well – not to mention, Peter Crouch’s wonder goal which would not have been stopped by two goalkeepers.

Mancini’s side are hanging in by the skin of their teeth however and are sure to be tested further over the coming weeks as Manchester United begin to find form and turn the screw.

Punters may be slightly put off by a team going through such an important phase - not only in their season but in their history overall.

At 2/9, City hardly represent any real value – despite the strong likelihood that they will hold everything together and win.

The one major plus, nonetheless, is their exceptional 100% home record and as people have seen, it will take something very special from another team to put a dent in that statistic.

Chelsea could have spiked a result on their recent visit to the Etihad but City managed to turn things around in magnificent style.

And Sunderland bring a far worse away record to the table than that of the Blues.

O’Neill’s side have lost eight times on the road this season and a ninth reversal looks likely, especially if the Black Cats turn in a similar performance to that at West Brom when they were swept away 4-0.

The aforementioned match betting should probably be left alone and the skinny price available for a home win can be overlooked in favour of a couple of correct score wagers.

Although fancied, City may not have everything their own way so a result along the lines of 2-1 or 3-1 should be considered at odds of 9/1 and 10/1 respectively.

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28/03/2012     © Frixo 2024