Pressure on Roberto Mancini as Manchester City host Swansea in Premier League
Last Updated: October 26, 2012 11:16am
Roberto Mancini: The Manchester City manager is under pressure after the European defeat by Ajax
Manchester City will aim to get back on track after their European disappointments when they host Swansea City on Saturday evening.
Roberto Mancini's side suffered a miserable defeat by Ajax in midweek to leave them facing UEFA Champions League elimination.
The Italian took the blame for the loss in Amsterdam but there has been much analysis and rumours of player unrest after his tinkering with a four and three-man defence.
City will therefore hope for another determined performance and show of togetherness to compare to last Saturday's dramatically late 10-man win at West Bromwich Albion.
With Chelsea and Manchester United not playing until Sunday, the defending Premier League champions could also move second and within one point of the former with a victory.
Swansea were relieved to end a five-game winless run in the league with last weekend's 2-1 victory over Wigan Athletic and the success eased some pressure on Michael Laudrup.
The Dane had previously been forced to face questions about reports of dressing room unrest among his squad and he admitted his pleasure at defeating Wigan.
Swansea, under the management of Brendan Rodgers, lost 4-0 at Etihad Stadium last season and will hope to avoid a repeat.
Man City
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini will again be without David Silva for the game against Swansea City.
The midfielder has been absent with a hamstring injury and remains out while Pablo Zabaleta, Javi Garcia, Maicon and Jack Rodwell are also absent.
James Milner is suspended after his red card in last weekend's dramatic win over West Bromwich Albion.
Swansea
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday's trip to Manchester.
The Dane could opt to again start midfielder Michu in attack after the Spaniard claimed his sixth goal of the season when employed as a striker in the win over Wigan Athletic.
Pablo Hernandez and in-form Wayne Routledge look set to keep Nathan Dyer on the bench, while Kyle Bartley (thigh) and Neil Taylor (broken ankle) are the only long-term absentees.
Opta Facts
- Manchester City have lost none of their last 33 Premier League games at Etihad Stadium
- No team has prevented City from scoring in their last 35 top flight home games
- Manchester City have conceded a league high 56% of goals from set pieces this season
Previous game's starting line-ups
4-3-2-1
-
1
Hart
-
5
Zabaleta
-
2
Richards
-
6
Lescott
-
13
Kolarov
-
42
Toure Y
-
17
Rodwell
-
7
Milner
-
8
Nasri
-
32
Tevez
-
10
Dzeko
Team taken from Man City vs Norwich (Barclays Premier League) on Sunday 19th May 2013
4-5-1
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1
Vorm
-
22
Rangel
-
4
Chico
-
6
Williams A
-
33
Davies
-
11
Hernandez
-
7
Britton
-
15
Routledge
-
20
de Guzman
-
12
Dyer
-
9
Michu
Team taken from Swansea vs Fulham (Barclays Premier League) on Sunday 19th May 2013
Latest Poll
Matches
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Barclays Premier League
Table
Barclays Premier League
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 38 | 89 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 38 | 78 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 38 | 75 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 38 | 73 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 72 |
| 6 | Everton | 38 | 63 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 38 | 61 |
| 8 | West Bromwich Albion | 38 | 49 |
| 9 | Swansea City | 38 | 46 |
| 10 | West Ham United | 38 | 46 |
| 11 | Norwich City | 38 | 44 |
| 12 | Fulham | 38 | 43 |
| 13 | Stoke City | 38 | 42 |
| 14 | Southampton | 38 | 41 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | 38 | 41 |
| 16 | Newcastle United | 38 | 41 |
| 17 | Sunderland | 38 | 39 |
| 18 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 36 |
| 19 | Reading | 38 | 28 |
| 20 | Queens Park Rangers | 38 | 25 |
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Mancini calls for patience
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Tremmel ready to prove worth
Gerhard Tremmel is relishing the opportunity to impress for Swansea following Michel Vorm's injury.
