Team News
Roberto Mancini didn’t have the chance to rest his players in midweek as they were in action against Porto. However, the team’s injury and suspension list is clean. Striker Mario Balotelli has finished serving his 4-match suspension so he might be given a role on the pitch this weekend.
Super Mario is poised to mark his return with a bang while loan signing David Pizarro could start along Gareth Barry in midfield after impressing in midweek. Italian manager Roberto Mancini has everyone available ahead of the Blackburn Rovers match and the 6-1 aggregate victory over Portuguese giants Porto will only act as a morale booster.
Meanwhile, Blackburn must deal with player suspensions and injuries. Steve Kean cannot pick Gael Givet and Jason Lowe who’s on a 2-match ban for receiving his 10th yellow card of the season. Experienced midfielder David Dunn is recovering from a calf injury and his inclusion in the Blackburn line-up is in doubt. Nigerian striker Yakubu and winger Pedersen will have a lot on their shoulders to carry in the absence of some of their team’s key names.
Form
What can we say about Manchester City? They bounced back in style from their 1-0 loss to Everton in January. That defeat at Goodison Park is something of the past, as though it never happened. After demolishing Fulham 3-0 in their next fixture, the Citizens went on to snatch all three points away to Aston Villa.
This weekend, Man City will be back in the comfort of their home where they’ve not dropped a single point. Well, they’ve played 12 matches at the Etihad Stadium in the English Premier League this season and they’ve won all of them with a 37-6 record in terms of goals for v goals allowed statistic.
On the contrary, Blackburn Rovers’ away record is dreadful with 6 draws and 5 defeats in 12 outings. Remarkably, however, their only away victory so far this season came at the historic Old Trafford stadium. This stunning achievement, which happened on New Year’s Eve, might give Blackburn that ridiculous amount of hope to seriously believe in a Manchester City upset.
Manchester City’s last 3 English Premier League matches:
January 31, 2012: Everton 1-0 Manchester City
February 4, 2012: Manchester City 3-0 Fulham
February 12, 2012: Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City
Blackburn Rovers’ last 3 English Premier League matches:
February 1, 2012: Blackburn Rovers 0-2 Newcastle United
February 4, 2012: Arsenal 7-1 Blackburn Rovers
February 11, 2012: Blackburn Rovers 3-2 QPR
Head-to-head
January 11, 2010: Manchester City 4-1 Blackburn Rovers
September 11, 2010: Manchester City 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
April 25, 2011: Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Manchester City
October 1, 2011: Blackburn Rovers 0-4 Manchester City
Winner
This should be a one-sided affair in favour of Manchester City. Seventeenth-placed Blackburn Rovers stand absolutely no chance of avoiding defeat. If they do, it will be worth branding the game’s result as “the upset of the weekend”. Manchester City might force the visitors to play damage limitation.
Prediction: Manchester City 2-0 Blackburn Rovers
