TFT Issue 282!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Manchester City vs Liverpool – home win at 9/10.
Today’s featured game is the English Premier League encounter between Manchester City and Liverpool. In the reversal of this fixture a few weeks ago, Liverpool outplayed Manchester City and were unlucky not to win but they only had themselves to blame for not committing enough men forward when they had the ball.
Today should see a different game, however. City were perhaps a bit too cocky at weekend by taking the difficult trip to Sunderland too lightly and resting Silva and Aguero, not to mention Balotelli. Silva and Aguero were brought on in the second-half and both had immediate impacts but it wasn’t enough for City to claim what would have been an invaluable three points. It’s a learning curve for City, though – they need to know when to go and when to stop and they’re not quite there yet, which is something that a more experienced manager may have given them.
City are on familiar turf for this game though and all their stars will return. The calamitous Lescott at the back is still absolutely terrifyingly bad and is liable to make a hideous error at some point but City should have enough firepower to do the job today. It’s imperative that Silva plays, though – without him, City really lack creativity so it may be wise to wait for the line-ups just to be sure that Mancini hasn’t done something stupid here. If he plays, City really should win this one, in my view.
Liverpool love to upset the odds against the moneybags/bigger clubs and I’m sure that they’d love to here. Everything about their current manager and current squad screams “battlers” and I doubt that they’ll be lying down for this game. Their defence is a bit suspect and I’m sure that they’ll concede here but Craig Bellamy may have a point to prove against his old club and Liverpool do have the players to hurt City’s overrated defence. Will they, though? I just can’t see it. They’re alright when it comes to beating most Premier League sides without Suarez but in the big games they miss him a lot and I think that they will here.
I don’t expect this to be an easy game or a whitewash for City. However, I do expect them to be the side that ultimately converts their chance(s) whereas I just don’t see Liverpool doing it. For me, there’s value on the home win at 9/10 if Silva starts.
Verdict: Manchester City to win at 9/10.
Team news
Greek Super League:
Panionios – Full squad. Estoyanoff and Riera have left the club.
Asteras Tripolis – Juanito, Rogerio, Bartolini, Ker, Bacasetas, and Pulido are absent. Perone, Tsoumagas, and Arsienevits return.
PAS Giannina – Iila Panto and Keita are absent.
OFI Crete – Horxe, Lopez, Ukar, and Xaritonidi are absent.
AEK Athens – Liberopoulos, Karabela, and Gentsoglou are absent.
Doxa Dramas – No absentees.