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Manchester City will be determined to maintain their 100 percent home record, when they host Swansea City in the Premier League on Sunday.
City are currently sixth in the league table, nine points below early leaders Arsenal, though the Gunners have played an extra match. And though they have been poor on their travels, Manuel Pellegrini's side have won all six league games at the Etihad this season, scoring 26 goals and conceding just two. They hammered Norwich City 7-0 and Tottenham Hotspur 6-0 in their last two home league games, making the stadium pretty much a fortress.
Key to those performances was the contribution of forward Kun Aguero, who is enjoying the best spell of his City career, with nine goals and six assists from his last seven Premier League appearances.
"I said last week that after [Lionel] Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he is the best. Both are not playing in the Premier League so he is [the best in England]. He is a better player [now] because he is older. He arrived in Spain when he was 18 or 19 years old. He was always a very important player, a top player, but this year he is trying to work a little bit more without the ball," Pellegrini hailed his talisman.
Capital One Cup holders Swansea, on the other hand, are not enjoying the best of forms at the moment as they sit 11th in the table, just five points clear of the drop zone. The Welsh outfit ended a run of three league games without a win last weekend, with a 2-1 triumph at Fulham, but lost to Valencia 1-0 at home in the Europa League clash on Thursday.
However, manager Michael Laudrup is confident his side can bounce back and pull off an upset at the mighty Etihad on Sunday.
"City are the best home team in the league with 26 goals in six games so we know that it will be a tough afternoon, but we can only surprise people there. Everybody expects City to win by a few goals because they've done that against everybody including Manchester United and Tottenham," Laudrup stressed.
"So I think that we will go there to do the best that we can to get something out of it, and whatever happens, we will still present a competitive team. You can't play with fear in football. There is a lot of respect, you have respect for everybody, the ones on top and at the bottom, but never fear," the Barcelona legend added.
Team News
Man City: David Silva, Matija Nastasic and Stevan Jovetic (all calf) remain sidelined for Pellegrini, while his captain Vincent Kompany (thigh) will have a late fitness test to confirm his participation today. However, Jack Rodwell has returned from the treatment table and is in contention for a spot in the 18-man squad.
Swansea: Striker and big-money summer signing Wilfried Bony suffered a hamstring injury against Valencia and could be out for several weeks. Right-back Angel Rangel also suffered a calf problem in that game and will miss the trip to Etihad. Talisman Michu (ankle) and defender Gary Monk (knee) also remain sidelined, while winger Wayne Routledge returns to the fold, after recovering from a calf injury.
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for a 9.40 pm IST start on Sunday, with live coverage on Star Sports HD1. You can also catch the match via live streaming by clicking HERE. To watch the action in the U.S., click HERE. To live stream it in the U.K., click HERE. Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can click HERE.
Expected lineups
Man City: Hart; Zabaleta, Demichelis, Lescott, Clichy; Fernandinho, Toure; Navas, Aguero, Nasri; Negredo
Swansea: Vorm; Tiendelli, Chico, Williams, Davies; de Guzman, Shelvey; Dyer, Pozuelo, Routledge; Vazquez
Prediction: 4-1 to City
