Manchester City will want to find their winning mojo in the English Premier League again when they host managerless Swansea City in the English Premier League on Saturday.
City lost their place at the top of the Premier League table, after going down tamely to Stoke City last weekend. That was the kind of performance Manuel Pellegrini will not want to see again, and the manager will demand an improved show against struggling Swansea.
Swansea City decided to fire Garry Monk this week, with Alan Curtis taking temporary charge, leaving the Welsh club in limbo going into this big game against one of the title favourites.
Pellegrini had sympathy for Monk, who he believes did not deserve the sack. "I don't think the problem with Swansea was the manager, Monk made a very good season with Swansea last year," Pellegrini, who himself has been linked with the sack quite a few times during his tenure as City manager, said.
"They're in a bad moment but it's not down to one person. In football, you're never surprised about anything but I'm sure he's the same good manager he was last year.
"Normally in England, some years ago, there was more patience with managers. Garry Monk had a great season last season, now he's sacked because they lost two or three in a row. For every team, in opinion, they would play better if they stick with the same manager."
Pellegrini, though, will be more than happy to take advantage of Swansea's problems, with Manchester City desperate for three points, three points which will take them back to the top of the table, at least for a few hours, if not more.
Swansea need to find some inspiration from somewhere, after seeing their bright young manager lose his job. Curtis believes his team can go to the Etihad and come away with at least a point.
"It's been a difficult few days for everyone," Curtis said. "Yes, we are on a bad run, but we won't be going to the Etihad just to make up the numbers and get the fixture out of the way while we wait for a new manager to come in.
"We need every point we can and we will strive to be competitive and get something out of a difficult game."
Team news: Manchester City: Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany remain unavailable, but Pellegrini is hopeful the superstar duo can return in time for the big clash against Arsenal a week from Monday. Martin Demichelis returns from a knock, but Fernando, Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta remain in the treatment table.
Swansea City: Curtis does not have too many injury problems to deal with, as only striker Eder is a doubt.
Where to Watch Live
The EPL match between Manchester City and Swansea is scheduled for a 3 pm local time (8.30 pm IST, 10 am ET) start. Star Sports 1 will broadcast the match live in India, while the online live streaming options are on Hotstar and Starsports.com.
There will be no live TV coverage for viewers in the UK, but BBC Radio 5 Live will provide live audio coverage. Australia viewers can watch the EPL game live on Fox Sports, while the online live streaming options are on Fox Sports On Demand and Foxtel Play.
Watch the EPL game live in the US on NBC Sports Network, with the live stream option on NBC Sports Live Extra. Audience in Canada can watch the action live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet World Online.
