Premier League Betting: Stoke City v Manchester City

Premier League / Mandeep / 30 January 2009 / Leave a Comment

Craig Bellamy wanted in, Robinho looks to have wanted out and Wayne Bridge is keen to show everyone what he's all about. Mark Hughes' side travel to Stoke looking for another win but Mandeep Dhanoa doubts they'll be getting it...

With the end of the transfer window nigh, Manchester City must forget the mercenaries who may be signing for them, and get back to business in a tricky match away to Stoke City. Stoke are notorious this season for being difficult to break down at home, and Man City's foreign contingent do not seem to fancy too many away days in the first place. With a vociferous home support, and Man City's problems, laying Man City at [2.34] has to be the bet of the day.

Stoke's last three Premier League home matches have shown how difficult it is for their visitors. They drew 0 - 0 with Liverpool and Fulham, and unluckily conceded a late goal to the champions Manchester Utd. With the expected return of Liam Lawrence, and even more crucially the underrated Ricardo Fuller, Stoke should continue their excellent home form.

By contrast, Man City have struggled on their travels drawing two and losing one in their last three away matches (Blackburn, West Brom and Fulham). It seems the old adage of foreign players not liking the boggier pitches and relative cold applies to the likes of Robinho, who has often go AWOL away from Eastlands. Zabaleta and Wright-Phillips should brush off minor knocks and play.

Stoke are in 19th position versus Man City's 9th, and will be much more motivated to win. Whereas Stoke are a workman-like team, tackling hard and keeping their shape, Man City prefer to express themselves through the touch of Robinho, guile of Ireland and pace of Wright Phillips.

With rumours of Santa (Cruz) coming to town, and the expected arrival of Shay Given from Newcastle, questions must be asked about the mindset of some of the Man City players. Obviously the Robinho scandal has not helped, and a tight midweek win against a pathetic Newcastle team should not detract from their off-field issues. Joe Hart will be worrying about his future, Micah Richards seems to be looking for a way out, and the pressure of bombs in the box from Delay and Sonko will cause huge problems.

Laying Man City at around [2.34] has to be the bet as flagged up above. With few goals scored at the Britannia, under 2.5 goals at around even money is definitely another price worth backing. Should you be looking for something more speculative, there are some other appealing opportunities. A Stoke clean sheet can be backed at [4.3] which seems a little generous.

Another bet which appeals is Stoke to win 1 - 0 in the Correct Score market at [13.0]. This should be excellent position to take early on with a view to lay off later in the game should you wish to trade your position.

The last market to look out for is the First Goalscorer market. Should Fuller start the game, a punt at [7.4] for their main striker and penalty taker could well prove fruitful. New signing Beattie has made a good start for his new club and does score goals in batches, and could be worth a small bet at the same price as Fuller.