The Latics versus The Citizens

Time for City to start delivering goals on the road and the short journey to erstwhile bogey team Wigan Athletic...

Roberto Martinez:
'I am not a manager that looks for a clean sheet. I am looking for a win.. Clearly you don't want to concede soft goals and at the moment we are doing that. But if you can find a way to outscore the opposition, I would take that rather than just keeping a clean sheet in every game. Now the reality is Manchester City are the only team unbeaten in the league. This season they have played with that winning mentality. That means that sometimes when they are not playing at their best, or they cannot maintain the level for 90 minutes, they always find the way to get a positive result. That is probably the big difference between this Manchester City team and last season. They are capable of getting results in any situation…City have got the arrogance of a winning team and the winning mentality. That is why they have produced such an effective season so far in the league.'

David Platt:
'We have conceded fewer goals than at this stage of last season But there's only really one statistic that counts and that's the points. You can draw comparisons to last season. We were setting records left, right and centre with how many goals we scored after 13 games last season. We would like to have a few more now because it would have got those extra victories but 13 games gone, one point off the top, still unbeaten, there's enough in there to be pleased about.'

OUT:
Ivan Ramis
Antolin Alcaraz
Albert Crusat
Ben Watson
Ryo Miyaichi

LATE FITNESS TEST:
Shaun Maloney
Gary Caldwell

Hat-trick hero against previous form at the weekend in the 3-2 win over Reading, Gomez will have his tail up despite copping for stick ahead of his treble from a section of the Latics support. He clearly has a point to prove after a recent lay off and City's solid defence will need to be in full stifling mode.

OUT:
Gael Clichy
Jack Rodwell
Micah Richards
John Guidetti

Barry is looking in good nick of late and needs to be with Yaya Toure continuing his uncomfortable run of form. The City midfield completely dominated Chelsea's on Sunday and more of the same application is required for another road trip.

THE FACTS:
The Blues have won the last 5 matches against Wigan without conceding a goal.

Latics are five points better off than at the equivalent stage of last season but have conceded 13 goals at home, more than any other Premier League club.

City remain unbeaten in the last 19 Premier League matches, The Citizens finest top-flight run since the 22-game run in 1936-37.

The Blues hold the Premier League's best defensive record, conceding only 10 goals in 13 fixtures.

Head To Head
League: 5 Wigan Wins, 3 Draws, 8 City Wins
League Cup: 1 Wigan Win, 1 Draw, 1 City Win
Other Cup: 1 Draw, 1 City Win
FA Cup: 2 City Wins
Total: 6 Wigan Wins, 5 Draws, 12 City Wins

This Could Be The Last Time:
Mo 16Jan 2012 Wigan 0 - 1 Man City
Sa 10Sep 2011 Man City 3 - 0 Wigan
Sa 05Mar 2011 Man City 1 - 0 Wigan
Su 19Sep 2010 Wigan 0 - 2 Man City

Betting: Wigan 5 Draw 16/5 City 8/15 Racing Post Soccerbase

TV Coverage: Sky Sports 1 HD
LiveOnSat.com

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CLASSIC CITY: Man City v Wigan 1999

M R Halsey from Lancashire -Last Season: Officiated No City Fixtures. -This Season: Sa 29Sep 2012 Fulham 1 - 2 Man City - 2011/12: 33 Games, 75 Yellows, 0 Reds -2012/2013: 10 Games, 21 Yellows, 3 Reds.

Johnny On The Spot: Despite City's domination of Wigan in recent years this is always a tricky place to go. The Stretfords will testify to that. Roberto Martinez is no mug and in the run up to a fixture that Mancio and his coaches will have marked down for a nailed on win threatens a we'll score more than you assault. The Blues have to stay solid and team selection continuity could be key in this respect. It's clearly the case that City's reinforced rearguard approach is no fluke as a plan to shore up following a run of rag-esque goal shipping was put in place resulting in conceding only 4 goals in 7 league games. The trouble is, the midfield is sitting deep to afford the defence extra protection, particularly on the road. The upshot being that releasing Yaya Toure when the strikers are misfiring is not an option. The frustration heightens when attempts to stroll the ball in whilst passing sides to death calls for a more direct approach and Mancio has called for the side to address this. I expect Balotelli to start as a result and City to run out comfortable winners. Wigan 0 City 3

all times East Manchester
Sa 01Dec 15h00 Everton, The Etihad, PL
Tu 04Dec 19h45 B Dortmund, Signal Iduna Park, CL
Su 09Dec 13h30 The rags, The Etihad, PL
Sa 15Dec 12h45 Newcastle, St James' Park, PL
Sa 22Dec 15h00 Reading, The Etihad, PL
We 26Dec 15h00 Sunderland, Stadium of Light, PL
Sa 29Dec 15h00 Norwich, Carrow Road, PL

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