City Can Got Top With Victory
- By Jaymes Monte on January 14, 2011 10:59 GMT
Manchester City take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Eastlands this Saturday afternoon knowing that a victory would move them to the top of the Premier League table.
With current league leaders Manchester United not in action until Sunday this weekend Roberto Mancini’s men can move onto 45 points and one point above their city rivals if they beat struggling Wolves.
Spanish midfielder David Silva is a doubt for the game whilst Mario Balotelli is definitely out, both with knee injuries. Edin Dzeko could make his debut following his £27million transfer from Wolfsburg.
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy is without the services of defender George Elokobi who serves the first of a three-game ban whilst Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Michael Mancienne and Michael Kightly all out through injury.
City are a short 1/3 with the bookmakers to get the win that would take them to the summit of English football whilst Wolves are 9/1 to complete an unlikely double over the Premier League’s big spenders.
Elsewhere in the day’s traditional 3o’clock kick offs Chelsea host Blackburn looking to build on their emphatic 7-0 win in over Ipswich in the FA Cup last weekend. A point would move them back into the top four but they’ll be keen to take all three following a run of just one win in their last nine league games.
The bookmakers are quoting odds of just 3/10 on the champions winning this one whilst it is 10/1 for an away victory.
Wigan host Fulham in a relegation six-pointer which The Latics are favoured to win at odds of 6/4. The Cottagers, who have just one win on the road all season, are 7/4 to take maximum points.
West Bromwich Albion are at home to Blackpool in a battle of the newly promoted clubs. The Seasiders won the reverse of this fixture 2-1 with The Baggies having two players sent off in the first half. It is 4/1 that Ian Holloway’s men complete the double and 4/5 that West Brom get their first victory of the calendar year.
Now that the busy Christmas period has sorted things out a little in the Premier League standings it is a lot clearer which teams are battling for survival and which managers are pushing for the European places.
