Manchester City will gear up for the blockbuster clash with Liverpool on New Year with a trip to the KCOM Stadium to face a struggling Hull City outfit, on Boxing Day. City have recovered slightly with two back to back wins against Watford and Arsenal, the latter victory giving them a much-needed morale boost.
City were really struggling for a while after their 10-match winning streak was cut short by Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic in the Champions League. They did beat Barcelona 3-1 in the middle but could not translate that form in the domestic league.
However, with an excellent 2nd half display against Arsenal, they are back in the race. Although quite a way off Chelsea with 7 points and Liverpool between them, Pep Guardiola will have got confidence from the win. His methods are proving to be difficult to implement but whenever City have got it right, results have followed.
They will face a Hull City outfit who aren’t having their best season. With a botched up transfer window and a team which lacks the quality to survive in the Premier League, the January transfer window will be crucial for their hopes of survival.
But it won’t be a straightforward affair for Manchester City. They have struggled against teams who play direct football with an abundance use of long balls and the Tigers will be looking to do the same.
PREDICTED MANCHESTER CITY XI VS HULL CITY (4-1-4-1)
DEFENCE
Claudio Bravo will be in goal and has to improve on his recent displays. He has to be more commanding in set-piece situations and has to level up while stopping shots. Zabaleta’s injury will see Bacary Sagna line-up at right-back. John Stones might get a call up after being dropped for the last two games but it seems unlikely given the success of Kolarov and Otamendi. Gael Clichy is expected to be at left-back once again.
MIDFIELD
Fernando has been good in the role in front of the defence but with Fernandinho returning, there is a chance the latter might slot right back into the team with the Liverpool game coming up next.
Yaya Toure and Silva are expected to be in the advanced midfield roles. The duo was impressive against Arsenal and will be hogging much of the possession again.
ATTACK
Sane should get another game on the left-wing. The German mesmerised with his pace and will be a handful for the Tigers. Raheem Sterling will most likely be on the right-wing and will be high on confidence after his display from last week. Kevin de Bruyne will likely be in the false 9 position.
