MCFC 2012/2013: Manchester City v West Bromwich Albion

DATE: 07/05/13

KICK OFF: 19.45pm

VENUE: Etihad Stadium

PREDICTION: 2-0

Preview

Rotation, rotation, rotation. Expect a lot of it on Tuesday night.

Key players are set to be rested and Edin Dzeko may be given the chance to redeem himself following his shocking miss in City's dismal 0-0 draw with Swansea on Saturday.

The Bosnian striker still tops the blues scoring list in the Premiership; a fact that will worry manager Roberto Mancini. However, his late strike against the Baggies back in October secured a vital three points for the then title chasing outfit.

City passed up the opportunity to guarantee second spot at the weekend and will be looking to put Chelsea to bed with a victory over Steve Clarke's side on Tuesday evening.

The Baggies it 5 points ahead of Swansea in 8th place and will be content with an above average season. However, the brummy outfit are on a rocky run of form with only one win in their last five games and were the victims of a Martinez masterpiece at the weekend.

Although his side may be facing a second string side tomorrow night, Steve Clarke still fears the class City possess. 'They will be a strong team' were his words, but will they be strong enough to tame Clarke's over-performers?

City need an injection of confidence before their vital trip to Wembley on Saturday. Can they bulldoze the Baggies?

COME ON CITY!

Line-Up

Mancini will indubitably be resting his star players for Saturday's final, but who will take their places?

Edin Dzeko is likely to start upfront despite his shocker at the weekend. However, City fans would rather see Swedish striker John Guidetti lead the line as he continues to push for full fitness.

Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott may combine in central defence with Micah Richards and want-away Serbian Aleksander Kolarov filling the wing back roles. Joe Hart will not feature on Saturday, and will keep his place between the sticks.

Jack Rodwell is nearing full fitness and may feature in City's midfield, possibly alongside Javi Garcia. However, it's hard to see where City will get their flair from if Silva, Nasri and Yaya are rested.

It's open to debate, but we'll definitely be seeing an unfamiliar line-up tomorrow evening.

Head to Head

The Baggies haven't been victorious against the blues since 2008 and have never won at the Etihad.

The last meeting at the Etihad saw Mancini's side record a 4-0 thrashing with Aguero and Tevez both bagging twice.

I may be complacent but a win is pretty much guaranteed, isn't it?

Key Men

Edin Dzeko

He's almost definitely on his way out after seeing his first team opportunities disappear this season, but he'll be vital to City's chances of victory tomorrow night. The Bosnian will argue that he is City's top Premier League scorer, but his habit of going missing is growing and growing and his style of play will never suit us as long as we play without wingers.

Hopefully, Edin will give us a great final farewell.

Romelu Lukaku

The young Belgian has fired the Baggies to 8th place this season and will be sorely missed when he heads back to Chelsea in the summer. With 14 goals in all competitions, Lukaku promises to become one of the league's leading stars in years to come.

Fantasy Premier League Leaders

Carlos Tevez 161 points

Joe Hart 140 points
David Silva 137 points