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Analysis
League titles are not decided in December so there is no reason why Manchester City should panic. Although they seat behind leaders Manchester United, the Citizens can take a lot of positives from their first 18 games.
On Wednesday, they will be hoping to seal the first part of the season with their 12th win of the campaign. Due to the four-point gap separating them from the summit, Manchester City will not be able to enter the second phase of the league season as leaders.
However, there will be a few more matches before the end of December. Roberto Mancini and his men surely know how important it is to finish the year strongly and enter 2013 on a high. Anything can happen as much as football is unpredictable.
Psychologically, Manchester City have absolutely no problem. They know what is like to linger behind their biggest rivals, Manchester United. Last season, the Citizens spectacularly evaporated an eight-point gap to win the title on the last day.
This term, the English Premier League champions are out to prove that their success was no fluke. They cannot afford to drop points against lower oppositions; they will go all out for a win against Sunderland. They have had mixed results against the Black Cats over the past couple of years. The last three matches between both sides have produced equal results with a draw and a win for each.
To avoid anxiety like against Reading where Gareth Barry had to win the match in injury time, Mancini may ask his players to attack right from the opening whistle. Could such a plan leave space in their defence and cost them some points?
Head-to-head record – last five matches
August 28, 2012: Sunderland 1-0 Manchester City
April 3, 2011: Manchester City 5-0 Sunderland
January 1, 2012: Sunderland 1-0 Manchester City
March 31, 2012: Manchester City 3-3 Sunderland
October 6, 2012: Manchester City 3-0 Sunderland
Table
| POS. | TEAM | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | D | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PREMIER LEAGUE 2012/2013 | ||||||||||
| 1 | Manchester United | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 44 | 25 | +19 | 43 | |
| 2 | Manchester City | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 34 | 15 | +19 | 39 | |
| 3 | Chelsea | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 36 | 17 | +19 | 32 | |
| 4 |  |
Arsenal | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 32 | 18 | +14 | 30 |
| 15 | Sunderland | 18 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 19 | 24 | -5 | 19 | |
| 16 | |
Aston Villa | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 32 | -17 | 18 |
| 17 |  |
Southampton | 17 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 22 | 33 | -11 | 15 |
| 18 | Wigan Athletic | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 33 | -15 | 15 | |
| 19 | |
Queens Park Rangers | 18 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 31 | -16 | 10 |
| 20 | |
Reading | 18 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 37 | -16 | 9 |
Prediction
Result: Sunderland 1-4 Manchester City
