Manchester City suffered the second Premiership defeat this season as they were hammered by Tottenham at White Hart Lane and they have to try and make things right by beating Sunderland. The Black Cats picked up just one point from last four games, thus they will also have something to prove at Eastlands.
Awful performance at White Hart Lane
Manchester City seemed to be on the right track after beating Chelsea and Arsenal, and we even saw them as favourites against Tottenham but Mark Hughes side played a very poor game at White Hart Lane and deservedly lost. We all know they are capable of playing much better than they did in that game and City fans certainly hope it was just one bad day. The Citizens face another difficult task as they play host to Sunderland, although their opponents are in very poor form and largely struggle away from Stadium of Light. This is why we are tempted to back the hosts here but seeing odds on home win are as little as 1.50 at Paddy Power, we are not prepared to take that chance.
Mark Hughes has received some bad news lately since Joleon Lescott was forced to undergo a knee surgery and will be out for up to two months. Nedum Onuoha is likely to deputize in the meantime, although the boss could sign an extra defender in January. City fans will definitely be happy to see Craig Bellamy back after serving his suspension, especially after another Robinho’s nowhere-to-be-found performance. Wayne Bridge and Michael Johnson remain sidelined.
One win in eight games
Sunderland’s good start to the season is slowly being forgotten since the Black Cats have major problems to rediscover their form over the last few weeks. They surprisingly remained in the top part of the table despite winning just one of the last eight league games but the record itself should be a cause for alarm. While failing to improve on the poor away record, Steve Bruce’s side managed to ruin the good home run and they now desperately need one good result to pick up their spirits. This is why the visitors simply have to try and win this game, and considering City are also desperate for a win, we see a good value in backing both teams to score at 1.80 offered by Paddy Power.
Steve Bruce has no fresh injury worries but he is likely to make a couple of changes to the team that started the Aston Villa game. Lee Cattermole returned into action after making a sooner than expected recovery from a hamstring injury and he could be in line for a start against City since Lorik Cana is suspended following a red card he received in the last game. Frazier Campbell, Steed Malbranque and Phil Bardsley are also pushing for the starting places.
Betting verdict
Manchester City won their last eight meetings with Sunderland but we are not prepared to risk it at such low odds on home win. We will instead opt for over 2.5 goals, since both teams have plenty of attacking potential and will be looking to win this game.
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