Manchester City v Cardiff City: Premier League match preview
A look ahead to this weekend's Premier League fixture at the Etihad
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Your support makes all the difference.Cardiff produced one of the shocks of the early season when they beat Manchester City at the Cardiff City Stadium. Repeating the feat will be a tough task though; Manchester City have a perfect home record so far this season.
New Cardiff boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer travels to Manchester searching for his first league win as manager, following defeat to West Ham last weekend. The Bluebirds are languishing in the relegation-zone following Saturday’s loss, but they are only behind West Ham on goal difference.
Bluebird fans should not be too disheartened following the defeat though, Cardiff played well and their attacking football was unlucky not to be rewarded. New signing Magnus Wolff Eikrem could join the fray, his passing and vision adds another dimension to Cardiff’s offensive line.
Victory will propel Solskjaer’s side up the table, and they can draw motivation that a win would see them level on points with bitter rivals Swansea, ahead of Sunday’s fixtures.
Manchester City meanwhile are chasing Arsene Wenger’s long coattails. The Arsenal boss and his team seem intent on not slipping up which means that, for the moment, City have to be content chasing their shadow.
Should Arsenal fail to beat Fulham however, and Manchester City win, Manuel Pellegrini’s side would go top of the table.
Sergio Aguero’s return will be a boost for Pellegrini. The Argentine scored on his return from injury on Wednesday, netting in the League Cup against Blackburn. The Citizens have won their last nine league games, and the return of their most potent weapon could prove too much for Cardiff’s defence.
KICK-OFF: Saturday, 3pm
PAST THREE MEETINGS:
Cardiff 3 (Gunnarsson, Campbell 2) Manchester City 2 (Dzeko, Negredo), Premier League, August 2013
Cardiff 1 (Blake) Manchester City 0, FA Cup, January 1994
Manchester City 2 Cardiff City 2, Old Division 2, March 1985
STATS:
Manchester City have not beaten Cardiff since 1984.
Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall has made the most saves in the division.
The Bluebirds are without a win in their last 5 league games.
Manchester City have a perfect record at home so far this season.
ODDS:
Manchester City to win: 1.12
Cardiff to win: 26.0
Draw: 7.5
TV: Highlights on BBC1 at 10.20pm.
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