Match Preview: Manchester City vs Swansea City

Laudrup's Swans set to face the murky waters of the Etihad

By Adam Bailey

European enterprises held very different outcomes for both sides as Swansea suffered midweek misery whilst City enjoyed hilarity at home once again. Daniel Parejo's goal earned Valencia a 1-0 win in Wales on Thursday and the Welsh side must record at least a point in their next tie against St Gallen if they are to reach the last 32 of the competition. 

Swansea will travel to Manchester on Sunday with their ammunition severely depleted. Top scorers Wilfried Bony (10) and Michu (7) both suffered injuries in the mid-week fixture leaving Michael Laudrup with unsettling shortages up top. 

For Manuel Pellegrini's side however, Swansea's injuries have come at the perfect time. A shaky defensive performance on Wednesday night was masked by yet another attacking masterclass that saw Sergio Agüero, Samir Nasri, Álvaro Negredo and Edin Džeko help City to their 15th goal of the Champions League group stages.

Photo: Official MCFC Facebook

A reflective view: City 1 - 0 Swansea

Balotelli helps gain a valuable three points

By Tom Kennerley

Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Europe

There were many questions following the humiliation in Amsterdam, with fans and pundits alike dissecting recent poor performances. The performance was no rembrandt picture for the purists. There was exaggeration amongst the press once again regarding Roberto Mancini resigning, which all Manchester City fans glanced upon momentarily and laughed off.  But in ESPN’s coverage of the game, Robbie Savage was sensible with his view afterwards as he said:

"Manchester City's first target this season is defending the title."

On we went to Swansea, our third game in seven days, was it too much for the players? In the first half, the effects of the Champions League and the game at the Hawthorns clearly showed as fatigue played a part in seeing the first effort of the game come just seven minutes before half time. Swansea were creating the better chances, despite our domination in the possession department.

Aleksander Kolarov, who was risked in a midfield role ahead of Scott Sinclair, was forced off injured at half time. Now it was Mancini's chance to prove himself again after being heavily criticised by the British press, who would he bring on to improve things to win the game? The answer was to be Mario Balotelli. 

Match Preview: Manchester City vs Swansea City

Competition: Premier League

Time: 8pm (GMT)

Venue: Etihad Stadium

TSBV Feature: Premier League preview (Part 4)

With less than 24 hours to go before the season finally kicks off, we wrap up our Premier League Preview by examining how Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic and Wolves will do this season.

News: Roberto Mancini Pre Match Conference vs Swansea

In his pre match conference ahead of the first game of the new season, Roberto Mancini has spoken about transfer targets and Carlos Tevez.

When asked about an update on Samir Nasri, he said:

"I don't know the situation at the moment. But, the start of our season is on Monday and we have yet to complete our team and I hope we can do this very quickly because we need new players."

"I think the club are still trying to work on this (signing Nasri). It is not easy but we hope we complete our team very quickly. The first game (of the Premier League) is really important, and we play three games before the transfer window ends"

With regards to Carlos Tevez, Mancini again insisted that Carlos Tevez could possibly stay a Manchester City player, something which he will be happy with: "It is 2 weeks until the end of the market. I think it's difficult for him to leave"

"I don't know if he will stay but at the moment, there isn't a team who wants to take him."

However, Mancini said that he is unlikely to feature on Monday night due to not being match fit: "Carlos is here and is maybe not ready to play because he has worked only for four days"

"He has worked very well and is here. I think for Monday it is difficult, but for the next game he will be available"

Mancini also refused to speak about the captaincy, and whether Tevez would keep hold of it: "At the moment this is not important. It is important that Carlos is here and working with the team. Afterwards we will decide this"