TRO Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 1 hour ago, Lochheads twin said: Gonna be a tough game tonight, it has become a must win for Citeh. Most positions will pick themselves but I would definitely start Digne & Zaniolo, both played well on Saturday and are more physical than Moreno & Rogers. UTV but will Rogers, be fired up playing his old club? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bose Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Let's face it this is a free hit tonight. We're missing both McGinn and Watkins along with the other long term absentees. We haven´t won away in the league to them since 2007 and in fact only managed to get 1 (!) point since then. They are a different beast. IF we somehow manage to keep them at bay for the first 50-60 minutes then it's a different game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 13 minutes ago, TRO said: If we stand off them, we are dead.....it really is that simple.....we have to compete. It's tough though. You've got Bernardo Silva and Foden nominally starting out wide but quickly drifting infield so before you know it a player marking them has been dragged 15 yards out of position. At VP they put out a midfield of Kovacic-Rico Lewis-Nunes so it was very disjointed and we comfortably contained it with our first choice guys out there. Different story tonight. I think Unai will have just shown them what Arsenal did as they were exceptional getting back into shape as soon as they lost the ball. Odegaard had to really sacrifice his natural game as normally he'd be right up playing 1-2s with the CF but he was very deep in that. It worked. I think people are being naïve if we they think we can just go toe to toe with him in a counter/Basketball type match, we will be badly exposed if that happens. Also watch for Bailey getting 3-4 fouls off Rodri and co in the first 20 minutes. The ref won't bother to book them and that will be a tactic from them to try to get him out of the game early given how good he was in the VP game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomaszk Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 No reds. No stupid reds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herman22 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 11 minutes ago, Tomaszk said: No reds. No stupid reds. Yeah I hate United fans too! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted April 3 Author Share Posted April 3 1 hour ago, DevonIsAPlaceOnEarth said: A free hit. If we do win and Utd fail to tomorrow night - well I won’t say it, but you know what I’m thinking. Sky will say that Man Utd are still in the race for fourth? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberman Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Need Diaby on it and Bailey at his rampaging best plus a bit of Duran mayhem. Nick something on an early break and get their fans panicking. Could be anything from a heavy defeat to a tight win either way. Just hope we do ourselves proud and show why we are only a couple of points behind them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Need Luiz to avoid a yellow card in this game so there’s no threat of a 2 game ban on his head. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewiek2 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 The last time Man City lost was at Villa Park. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVTuco Posted April 3 VT Supporter Share Posted April 3 If we manage to keep a neutral or positive GD after this game, I'll be ok with it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 8 minutes ago, AVTuco said: If we manage to keep a neutral or positive GD after this game, I'll be ok with it. You’re expecting us to lose 18-0? 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bose Posted April 3 Popular Post Share Posted April 3 1 minute ago, omariqy said: You’re expecting us to lose 18-0? 17-0 and I'd be over the moon 1 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheepyvillian Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 3 hours ago, TRO said: but will Rogers, be fired up playing his old club? Nor for me. It's not as if he had any kind of emotional bond with their supporters. He may feel he has a point to prove, but it's important, should he play, that he stays disciplined in the role he is given, as do all the players that take to the pitch tonight. Those first 20 minutes could be crucial in deciding who comes out on top at the final whistle. There is absolutely no room for complacency from anybody. Our intensity has to be equal to theirs. The longer we can go without conceding, the more confident we'll become in our belief that we can actually take something from this game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheepyvillian Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 1 hour ago, omariqy said: Need Luiz to avoid a yellow card in this game so there’s no threat of a 2 game ban on his head. There's no way he can go into a game of this importance with any hesitancy. What will be, will be. If someone said 3 points but a yellow for Dougie, I'd say, "Yes Please"!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJBOB Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Unai has been on the wrong side of some starting XI decisions for critical matches this year. At home vs Newcastle - the 4 CM lineup was too slow. At home vs Spurs - going 5 at the back was a disaster. Conversely, he picked the best starting XI against United twice and they still managed jammy wins over us. Best XI vs Wolves as well. The starting XI has usually portended whether or not we will be going for it, so I'm hoping for a predictable lineup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheepyvillian Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 (edited) 5 hours ago, TRO said: I think, we may have to go man to man on their engine room, Rodri and stop the supply lines....maybe a role for Tim. I remember a time when an academy player, David Evans did exactly that on Johan Cruyff at Villa Park, and completely negated him. I remember that game. Had the pleasure of seeing the great man in the flesh whilst sitting in the Witton Lane stand. Not sure he was totally negated. I remember him getting a standing ovation from the whole ground when he went off. I also remember we were 2 - 0 down when he departed, only for big Ken and Dixie one each and achieve parity. I think that speaks for itself. Edited April 3 by sheepyvillian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aston_Villan4 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 2-1 is my guess. City looked like doodoo against Arsenal. Even with our injuries I think Duran and Rogers will give them problems. Not always in the best of ways but a problem nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WallisFrizz Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 19 minutes ago, DJBOB said: Unai has been on the wrong side of some starting XI decisions for critical matches this year. At home vs Newcastle - the 4 CM lineup was too slow. At home vs Spurs - going 5 at the back was a disaster. Conversely, he picked the best starting XI against United twice and they still managed jammy wins over us. Best XI vs Wolves as well. The starting XI has usually portended whether or not we will be going for it, so I'm hoping for a predictable lineup! I don’t think he’s got many options to vary that much. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It's Your Round Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I think they’ll come for us all guns blazing tonight, especially after their frustrating 0-0 against Arsenal. They are massive favourites but we know we are capable of beating them or indeed anyone when we get it right. The loss of Watkins could be massive for us, his finishing ability when we might not have a lot of chances (who’d have said that two years ago!), his pressing and relentless running, and his penchant for near post clearances from corners. But rather than fear the worst, I’m going in to this with excitement to see what Duran can do, he might just do something special and with Bailey and Diaby in good form, we can hurt them. Can’t wait to see how it plays out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one_ian_taylor Posted April 3 VT Supporter Share Posted April 3 I'll go with: Emi Konsa Carlos Pau Digne Bailey Tim Dougie Diaby Tielemans Zaniolo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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