Man City go into this weekend’s home match with Wigan as overwhelming favourites after a superb start to the season. Joint-top with neighbours United after three games, Roberto Mancini’s side arrive on the back of a 5-1 away win at Spurs and given the sort of form they are currently showing, even the most optimistic Latics fan would be hard pushed to expect nothing more than a home victory at the Etihad Stadium this Saturday.
Likely Line-Ups
With the Champions League beginning next week, City’s line-up could be a tricky one to call. Mancini will no doubt swap a couple of faces from the trip to Spurs but at the same time, he will be keen to maintain the momentum that has seen his side average four goals per game over their first three fixtures.
The Spurs game saw City’s full-backs change from the previous match at Bolton and this could occur again, though Micah Richards dropped out of the recent England squad with a hamstring problem and is a doubt. Kolo Toure has served his six-month ban and comes back into the reckoning, while Yaya Toure may keep his place alongside Gareth Barry in a deep-lying midfield role. Samir Nasri suffered a broken hand on international duty with France but is expected to wear a protective cast and make his home debut.
Roberto Martinez is likely to keep Hugo Rodallega in his first XI- the Columbian’s first start of the campaign coincided with his side’s first win of the season in the 2-0 home defeat of QPR. James McCarthy missed the game with Neil Warnock’s men due to a knee problem and may struggle to make this one, while Adrian Lopez, or Piscu as he is nicknamed, should keep in central defence, deputising for the injured Antolin Alcaraz.
Key Battles
The game is likely to be one-way traffic, given Mancini’s new attack-minded policy this season. The City boss has thrown off the defensive shackles and, having added some outstanding offensive talents over the summer, has a team capable of producing sublime football right now.
Samir Nasri v Emerson Boyce
Samir Nasri’s debut for City at Spurs was sensational. The former Gunner had an immediate impact, dropping deep and linking up with David Silva in midfield and creating chance after chance for the likes of Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero. The Frenchman will go into the game at the Etihad Stadium full of confidence and ready to wreak havoc.
Nasri picked up 3 assists in the game at White Hart Lane, with an incredible 11 key passes- Emmerson Boyce has been impressive at the back, with 2.3 interceptions per game, but Wigan have only faced the three promoted sides so far and this is a huge step up in class. Nasri also had astonishing 97% pass accuracy, an indication of just how secure his distribution was. He also managed 1 shots in the Spurs match- Boyce has blocked 0.3 shots per game, the second highest tally of any Wigan defender.
Nasri has made just 1 successful dribble so far at City, though this was more down to the fact that he didn’t go on mazy runs, instead he chose to play a simple pass and keep possession- this is backed up by the fact he was dispossessed just 1 time by Spurs. Boyce has been beaten by an average 0.7 dribbles over his three games and has made just 1.3 tackles per game- less than half the left-back Maynor Figueroa (3). He’s top for Wigan when it comes to clearances, though (7.7) and has picked up a WhoScored average of 7.07, though Nasri’s 9.48 illustrates just what sort of form he’s bringing to the game against the Latics.
Edin Dzeko v Piscu
Top scorer in Europe’s main five leagues so far this season, Edin Dzeko has been unstoppable, finding the net six times already. Backed by David Silva, Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero, he has excelled as a lone attacker and scored in every game so far this season for City- the Wigan back-four have an ominous task ahead.
Adrian Lopez (Piscu), currently deputising for the injured Antolin Alcaraz, seems set to have a torrid time at the Etihad Stadium- Dzeko has been City’s main goal threat, averaging 4.7 shots per game, while Piscu has managed just 0.5 blocked shots on average. Dzeko has also been a major creative presence in the City side, with 3.7 key passes per game better than David Silva (2.7). Alcaraz’s absence will be sorely felt here- he has averaged 6 interceptions per game, while Piscu has managed just 1.
Piscu is the least impressive Wigan centre-half when it comes to being beaten by dribbles; he’s been outfoxed 0.5 times per game, while Alcaraz and Gary Caldwell have yet to succumb. Dzeko is joint-top for successful dribbles for City- he’s averaged 2.3, the same tally as David Silva.
Dzeko has also been caught offside more than any City player (1.3) while Piscu has yet to play an opponent offside so far. Dzeko’s outstanding performances have seen him earn a WhoScored rating of 9.0, with Piscu managing just 6.53 per game.
