Manchester City’s quest to retain their English Premier League title is suddenly in peril after they were held to a surprising stalemate Saturday by 18th-ranked Hull City. They will look to get their title bid back on track when they take on a Stoke side that is coming off a draw on the road against Newcastle.
Who will emerge victorious in this all-important Premier League matchup? Read on for a complete preview of this showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the match between Chelsea and Everton here.
[sc:Soccer ]Manchester City vs. Stoke Betting Preview
Where: Britannia Stadium, Stoke
When: Wednesday, February 11, 2:45 PM ET
Line: Manchester City -182 at Stoke +435, tie +260; total 2.5 – view all EPL lines
What’s at Stake
Manchester City, regardless of the result of their game on Wednesday against Stoke, will remain in second place behind league-leaders Chelsea. Stoke, on the other hand, has a chance to leapfrog Swansea and climb up to ninth place with a win over the defending champions.
Betting on Manchester City
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Manchester City’s title-retention hopes took a huge hit Saturday as they were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Hull City. The stalemate leaves City seven points behind Chelsea in the race for the Premier League title with just 14 games remaining in the league schedule.
It could have been much worse, though, for the Citizens who needed a second-half stoppage time equalizer from midfielder James Milner to salvage the much-needed draw. Milner gave City a precious point with a well-taken free kick that curled into the top right hand corner in the 92nd minute.
That breakthrough came a little too late for City, though, who dropped points at home for the second consecutive game. What makes this draw such a tough pill to swallow for manager Manuel Pelligrini is that this came against a Hull City side that has lost its previous three matches by a total of seven goals.
So what went wrong with Manchester City? The Citizens once again had trouble finishing on the offensive end. Although they registered a total of 18 shot attempts, only five of those were on target. Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko were guilty of wasting golden chances with Aguero even hitting the crossbar late on.
The main reason behind City’s recent decline, however, is the continued absence of their midfield lynchpin Yaya Toure. Ever since their vice-captain went on duty for Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations, the Citizens have failed to register a single win in their four Premier League outings.
The bad news for Manchester City is that Toure will still be unavailable for their midweek game against Stoke. The onus then is on Aguero to carry the scoring cudgels for the defending champions. Aguero may be second in the entire league in goals scored this season with 14, but the Argentine phenom has now gone more than two months since he last found the back of the net.
Manchester City is 3-0-2 in their last five games on the road.
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Betting on Stoke
Stoke extended their unbeaten run to three games with a thrilling 1-1 draw Sunday with Newcastle at St. James Park. Peter Crouch was the hero for the Potters as his 93rd-minute header gave Stoke the dramatic equalizer and helped them salvage a precious point.
The Potters have now collected a total of seven points in their last three league outings as they are now 13 points above the relegation zone. Key to Stoke’s sudden revival is their improved play on the defensive end. They have allowed just two goals in their last three matches.
They will need every bit of that defensive brilliance as they entertain the defending champions next. Manchester City have been an offensive force in their travels this season, scoring a total of 26 goals in their 12 away games thus far. That is the second-best scoring rate on the road this season in the EPL.
Stoke will not be fazed by that fact, however, as they have proven to be a tough defensive unit this season, especially at home. The Potters are seventh in scoring defense at home this season, conceding just 13 goals at the Britannia this campaign.
Aside from that, the Potters will fancy their chances against Manchester City because of the way they performed against the defending champions in their first league meeting earlier this season. Stoke shocked Manchester City last August at the Etihad with a stunning 1-0 upset win.
Mame Biram Diouf was the man of the match for the Potters in that game as he scored the winning goal in the 58th minute following a marvelous 70-yard run. He has already scored five goals for the club this season and he is expected to lead the Stoke attack once again alongside Jonathan Walters, who has scored a team-best seven goals this campaign.
Stoke have proven to be a tricky team for Manchester City in the past number of seasons. In fact, Stoke are unbeaten in their six Premier League meetings with Manchester City at the Britannia, winning once and drawing five times.
The Potters are 3-1-1 in their last five games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
Stoke and Manchester City cancel each other out in a 1-1 draw.
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