Manchester City – Stoke City Preview: Hosts looking to leapfrog Arsenal into third in repeat of Saturday’s FA Cup final

Roberto Mancini, Manchester City

Related Links

Teams

Shop for the latest footy kit

Roberto Mancini may look to rotate his side so as to allow a little more recovery time for some of his charges still jaded from their FA Cup triumph but with third place and therefore automatic qualification for the Champions League up for grabs, the Italian won’t be taking this game lightly.

There are no new injury concerns for the Citizens, with Shay Given and Jerome Boateng the club’s only long-term absentees and it’ll therefore be a matter of who needs the rest in the eyes of the former Inter boss.

Matthew Etherington was substituted in the second half at Wembley looking a shadow of his usual self having overcome hamstring trouble and may well be rested to aid his recovery but there are no new injury worries for the travelling Potters.

Danny Higgingbotham, Ricardo Fuller and Mamady Sidibe are all out until the end of the season and will therefore not feature in Manchester.

• Having kept teams out 16 times this season, Joe Hart (pictured) has picked up the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season.

• Mancini’s men have scored fewer headers than any other team in the league this season, only managing to nod in twice.

• The Eastlands outfit have the worst disciplinary record in the Premier League, picking up 73 yellow cards and 5 reds since the season began.

• Stoke City have lost all eight of the games away to sides currently sat in the top half, the worst record in the league.

• If games finished after 45 minutes in the Premier League, Tony Pulis’ men would be sat in the relegation zone. The Staffordshire club have never picked up a point at Eastlands.

• The visitors possess the tallest squad in the division, averaging out at 6ft 1in.