Manuel Pellegrini will step into the cauldron of the Premier League tonight as he takes charge of his first competitive match against Newcastle United.
The Chilean boss will be hoping that his team are firing on all cylinders as they bid to reclaim the title they begrudgingly surrendered to fierce rivals Manchester United last season.
City are expected to dominate the match and win comfortably; however, after leaking goals in pre-season, East Manchester could be in for a wild night of football.
After taking over at Eastlands, Pellegrini has stamped his authority on the squad and is in the process of revolutionizing their footballing philosophy in order to create a more fluid style of play.
The home team are likely to start in a 4-3-3 formation but Pellegrini said: “I am very flexible. I don’t have to play every week exactly the same.
“We will see for a lot of reasons which is the best one. I am not afraid of playing different ways because the team is prepared to.”
Pellegrini will be desperate to pick up three points following wins for fellow title contenders Manchester United and Chelsea over the weekend.
New signings Fernandinho and Jesus Navas are expected to start, while Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic will most likely make their contributions from the bench.
City’s new man at the helm will be without highly-rated defender Matija Nastasic who is missing due to an ankle injury.
However, the Blues will regain services of talismanic striker Sergio Aguero who is in contention for tonight’s affair after overcoming a knee injury- but isn’t expected to start.
Newcastle enter the campaign following a difficult 2012/13 season which saw them narrowly avoid relegation.
Manager Alan Pardew will hope his side can cause an upset at the Etihad as they bid to improve on last season and finish in the top half of the table.
Pardew said: “There is always that special feeling when the Premier League is kicking off and I think we’ve worked hard on pre-season and got the group in fantastic condition.
“Last year was difficult for us, not only with the extra games but also because it was compounded by an injury crisis.
The Magpies have received positive news regarding key player Jonas Gutierrez who could play after making good progress from a hamstring injury.
Pardew has only made one significant signing this summer – bringing in Loic Remy from QPR – however, the Frenchman has been ruled out with a thigh injury.
The Newcastle manager added: “City have invested heavily again and obviously they will be one of the top contenders for the title, so it is going to be a tough game but it is one we are more than ready for.
“It’s a psychological game for us in terms of putting ourselves in the minds of everybody with a really strong performance and hopefully we’ll get some points out of it.”
Newcastle will be the first of many clubs this season to take an envious look at City’s team-sheet and the Blues are expected to finish comfortable winners.
Image courtesy of Bill Boaden, with thanks.
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