Expect another cricket score when Manchester City host beleaguered, and yet-to-find-their-feet-under-new-manager-Ole-Gunnar-Solskjaer Cardiff at the Etihad in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for a 3 pm GMT (8.30 pm IST) start with live coverage on Star Sports HD2 in India. The match can also be caught via live streaming online HERE in India, with Latin America viewers able to watch the match online HERE. Catch the action in the US HERE, while Australia viewers can live stream the match HERE. North Africa and Middle East viewers can catch all the action live online HERE, with the same for rest of Africa viewers HERE.
City reached an unbelievable 99 goals for the season with a 5-0 thumping of Blackburn Rovers in their FA Cup third round replay, and with Sergio Aguero being added to the ridiculous striker mix, Solskjaer and co. will not be relishing the challenge of visiting the fortress in the blue half of Manchester.
"We will try to do a good game for the fans -- so far we are doing well but every game is different. They only lost to Arsenal late on in the game so we are not thinking it will be an easy game," Pellegrini, whose side have a perfect home record in the Premier League, said.
"More goals are better but we prefer to be a balanced team. All of the players must know that winning tomorrow is the only important thing. It's not important for us to think about what happens in one or two months."
In the reverse fixture, during the second week of the season, Cardiff, then under Malky Mackay, pulled off a major 3-2 upset over City; but then that was during a phase when City, currently second, a point behind Arsenal, were still learning their trade under Pellegrini, and finding it difficult to get any sort of result away from home.
"They scored with their first two corners which I think are the last two corners we've conceded from," Pellegrini said of the 3-2 defeat. "When we lost against Cardiff and lost to Aston Villa, we had a good way of playing -- it was the right way and we continue to play exactly the same.
"We may have lost the games, but we didn't play bad. We must stay true to that style and play the same way and we hope we can end the year with an important achievement."
Cardiff, third from bottom with just 18 points from 21 games, will look to that massive upset early in the season, but will know facing this City side, in the form of their lives at home, will be a completely different prospect.
"We are relishing the challenge because when you go to places like Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford, you are going to be tested," said Solskjaer, a former Manchester United player. "You have to go up there with the mindset of having a go and taking something from the game.
"You are going to be tested by some of the best players in the world, never mind Europe. And we have our own standards to live up to as well."
If Cardiff are to stand a chance of at least picking up a point, then the Welsh side will have to put up a much better performance from last weekend, when they fell 2-0 at home to fellow strugglers West Ham.
"You don't go up there to just finish the game off," Solskjaer added. "We beat Man City at home. "We need to ride our luck, have the ball drop our way at times but, of course, bigger surprises have happened in the world of football.
"You have to go up there with the mindset of having a go and taking something from the game. Our aim, as I have said before, is to be a top-10 club. We have to go to these places and take something."
Team news: Manchester City: Aguero's return to the lineup, where he scored within a minute of coming on against Blackburn, give Pellegrini a nice problem to deal with, with Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo also firing on all cylinders in front of goal.
"It's better to the three are very important players -- Dzeko and Negredo are in very good moments -- Sergio is just coming back from injury, so it's good we have the three," Pellegrini said on Friday.
"Sergio coming back from a long injury, he played 20 minutes the other night -- we'll see tomorrow if he starts."
Yaya Toure and David Silva are available after being rested for the Blackburn clash due to minor injuries. Stevan Jovetic is closing in on a return, but the Cardiff game comes too soon for the forward, with Samir Nasri and Jack Rodwell definitely out.
Cardiff: Solskjaer does not have too many injury worries, with Jordan Mutch, who has missed the last couple of games, a possible returnee.
Key men: Manchester City: Any of the three strikers, take your pick among Aguero, Dzeko and Negredo.
Cardiff: Steven Caulker and the rest of the back-four will have to play out of their skins to stop the relentless City attacking juggernaut.
Expected lineups: Manchester City: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov; Toure, Fernandinho, Navas, Dzeko, Silva; Negredo.
Cardiff: Marshall, Theophile-Catherine, Caulker, Turner, John; Medel, Whittingham; Noone, Kim, Odemwingie; Campbell.
Prediction: 4-0 to Manchester City
