Stoke Review and Middlesbrough (a) preview.

Shortest review ever. City were bad and with Navas playing, he takes out all the width of the team. Very predictable and with a hard working Stoke side, it was no surprise it finished 0-0. Minds elsewhere perhaps. 3 big Premier League games coming up, Liverpool H and Arsenal and Chelsea A. We should assess the PL situation after them games. If we are 3 or 4 points clear of 5th by then, we've done very well. Fingers crossed. I just want top 4, top 3 would be ace and progress on last season. Before then though, our next 2 games are cup games. Wednesday will see me preview Monaco away, huge CL game. Before then, it's the quarter finals of the FA Cup tomorrow 12.15 away up north to Middlesbrough.

Middlesbrough don't need this game and City don't. It is Huddersfield away again but there can be no replay and City have played an extra game so they need to focus. Middlesbrough, I feel, will field the same style of play as Stoke on Wednesday. Defend in numbers and get a couple of chances. Set pieces and crosses their best hope. Middlesbrough did so well at the Etihad earlier this season and pulled out a hard fought point. Something similar needed tomorrow for them. I'm not sure what team they will put out though. Some rotation as they linger near relegation. City don't need this game but for me, Middlesbrough don't either. But they are already this far so why shouldn't they go for it? Cup spirit can give something for Boro to build on. I think the game will be defensive and boring. If City defend properly (no replays), I fancy we may score at least once in 120 minutes and have a 4th substitute, weird. We will see. City will rotate. Hopefully Nolito gets to start and Navas doesn't this time. 

I'll go for 1-0 City and City to knick it in extra time. Yaya Toure to score.

Team prediction: 

Bravo-Zabaleta-Kompany-Stones-Clichy-Yaya Toure-Silva-De Bruyne-Sterling-Nolito-Iheanacho.