Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is expected to return against Sunderland after eight games out with a calf injury.
Pablo Zabaleta and Fernando are also available, leaving midfielder Samir Nasri as the only major absentee.
Sunderland defender Younes Kaboul is likely to be sidelined for several weeks because of a hamstring problem.
Adam Matthews is out (ankle ligament damage) and Jack Rodwell is suspended, but Jeremain Lens returns to the squad.
Editor’s Note: It’s a late present for Manuel Pellegrini as Vincent Kompany is set to return from injury and look to get Manchester City’s title challenge back on track.
With Kompany in the side they only conceded 1 goal, without him they have conceded 18. Those numbers tell the story but not only that their form has been a lot less convincing without their Belgian captain. 3 defeats in the last 5 and more importantly defeat to Arsenal on Monday
That defeat sees them 6 points off of league leaders Leicester but the gap they will be more concerned about is the 4 point one that they will now have to bridge to Arsenal, they can start to do that with a win over a Sunderland side who are currently sitting second bottom.
With a more match fit Sergio Aguero and David Silva plus the return of Vincent Kompany, City’s spine of the team is back in place and when that is firing on all cylinders they look a much more dangerous prospect to the sides that have turned out as of late in Kompany’s absence.
City have got enough quality in their squad that they shouldn’t be looking at Kompany’s injury as an excuse but it certainly has been a cause for concern for Manuel Pellegrini and now that Kompany has returned he can concentrate on easing the pressure on his own managerial situation.
The fact that Pep Guardiola is waiting in the wings certainly didn’t help once Manuel Pellegrini saw his side lose to Arsenal on Monday and he will be hoping his City side provide some festive cheer at home to a Sunderland side who are in danger of getting cast adrift in the drop zone.
Shock wins for Bournemouth, Newcastle and Norwich haven’t helped Sunderland over the past fortnight but they haven’t helped themselves by losing 3 in a row. After signs of revival were sprouting after 2 wins a row, it seems as if Big Sam is back to square 1 and can’t wait for the transfer window to open.
There has been discord in the squad with Jeremain Lens being disciplined by Sam Allardyce after voicing his displeasure at warming the bench at The Stadium Of Light. Allardyce needs players he can trust if they are going to get out of this relegation battle so don’t be surprised if Lens exits in the next week or so.
As for today, unfortunately for Sunderland they have to deal with a City side who have Vincent Kompany fit and raring to go. For that reason alone I can see nothing more than a home win.
