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Pellegrini v's Poyet: The battle of revival v's survival
The Premier League prospects of two South American sergeants could be settled on Wednesday night as Manuel Pellegrini and Gus Poyet prepare to tinker with the architecture of two very different ends of the table. A commoving confrontation between the sides back in March handed Pellegrini his first piece of silverware in English football, and the Chilean will have to engineer yet another victory over the Black Cats if he is to open the doors of his club's trophy cabinet for the second time this season.
A pernicious combination of attacking ruthlessness and farcical officiating saw the blues surrender their surge up the table on Sunday as Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool claimed their tenth consecutive win in a row. A late mistake from Vincent Kompany presented Philippe Coutinho with the chance to erase a Silva-inspired comeback from the blues, and the Brazilian devoured the opportunity to signal Liverpool's hunger for their first title in fifteen years.
(Philippe Coutinho's 78th minute strike earned Liverpool a crucial victory on Sunday)
However, Manuel Pellegrini had little praise for the league leaders, claiming Mark Clattenburg's hideous display ultimately decided the result. The referee excused Luis Suarez of an impressively theatrical dive under the contact of thin air early in the second half, and later chose to ignore Martin Skrtel's blatant handball in the penalty area. Pellegrini refused to acknowledge the impact of Liverpool's English contingent in their victory, and claimed important decisions went against his team.
When asked about the importance of Brendan Rodgers' English stars in the 3-2 loss, the Chilean replied: ‘I don’t think that is why Liverpool won, we beat Liverpool here at the Etihad with the same team.
‘In this last game there were three or four important decisions which went against our team. That was not because they had English players.’
(Manuel Pellegrini was not impressed with referee Mark Clattenburg's performance on Sunday)
The 60-year-old also refused to blame Vincent Kompany for his side's loss and dismissed suggestions that the Belgian was unfit to play.
Hideous conditions prevented the original fixture from going ahead back in February, and City's Wednesday night opponents have failed to pick up a single win from their seven league games since that date. One draw and six losses have left Sunderland choking on the dust of fellow relegation battlers Cardiff and Fulham, and although Poyet's side have two games in hand on their adversaries, the Black Cats have managed only three wins in their entire campaign.
(Gus Poyet's Sunderland side look set for the Championship)
As the claws of the Black Cat's begin to grind and scratch at the walls of a slippery Premier League table, Gus Poyet's hopes of another season in England's top division are beginning to defrost. Manuel Pellegrini's minions must return to winning ways if they are to re-enter the race for the title, and falling at the feet of yet another underdog is not an option.
Prediction: 3-0
Prediction: 3-0
Line-Ups
Yaya Touré has been ruled out for two weeks after picking up a groin injury in City's 3-2 loss to Liverpool on Sunday, and James Milner has been tipped by many to fill the Ivorian's considerably sized boots. The Englishman inspired the blues to a second half comeback at the weekend and he could be handed the role in his preferred position in centre midfield.
(James Milner could start on Wednesday night in place of the injured Yaya Touré)
With the fate of the league now out of their hands, Manuel Pellegrini may opt for a more attacking formation that could see Álvaro Negredo or Stevan Jovetić partner either Edin Džeko or Sergio Agüero up front.
Phil Bardsley (suspended), Liam Bridcutt (personal reasons), Steven Fletcher (ankle) and Keiren Westwood (shoulder) are unavailable for Sunderland.
Head to Head Stats
- Sunderland have never won at the Etihad Stadium
- Sunderland's last away victory against Manchester City came in January 1998 when both sides were in Division One
- In a total of 9 Premier League encounters on Manchester City's home turf, the blues have won 8 times. Sunderland managed a 3-3 draw in March 2012
- In those 9 games, Manchester City have scored 26 goals
Premier League stats
- Manchester City (86) have scored 57 more goals than Sunderland (29) this season
- Sunderland (54) have conceded 22 more goals than the blues (32)
- Manchester City (86%) have completed 8% more of their passes than Sunderland (78%)
- The blues (434) have created 137 more chances than Sunderland (297)
