Sunderland v Manchester City
Football : English Premier League
Sunday 29 August 2010 - Kickoff 3pm

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Sunderland

The natives are getting restless at the Stadium of Light as the perceived improvement that was due to take place under Steve Bruce has failed to materialise. The Black Cats do not want to be sucked into a relegation flight, but Bruce does not seem convinced with his squad and I expect further additions before the transfer window closes.

Sunderland were 2-0 up against Birmingham City on the opening day of the season but Lee Cattermole was sent off and they only managed a point. Add to that the disappointment of losing 1-0 at West Brom last week and it is clear to see why the home crowd are not happy. The away form is of particular concern and they only lost 3 times here last season.

Lee Cattermole and Michael Turner are both available again after suspension. Nedum Onuoha is ineligible to play against his parent club and could be replaced by Anton Ferdinand. John Mensah is still out.

Possible Sunderland Line Up: Mignolet, Ferdinand, Richardson, Turner, Bramble, Malbranque, Henderson, Riveros, El-Mohamady, Campbell and Bent (4-3-3)

Manchester City

There were a number of question marks regarding Manchester City and whether they could gel as a team coming into this season but they seem to have settled down. Joe Hart is yet to concede a goal since being given the Number 1 jersey and the side have made progress to the group stages of the Europa League where the first major European night will be the visit of Juventus.

City have 4 points from their tough opening to the new season and a win here would see them join Arsenal and Manchester United at the top of the table, just behind Chelsea. The performance against Liverpool last week showed some real quality at the club while their rearguard was praised in the 0-0 draw at Tottenham Hotspur. City had the most away draws in the Premier League last season and will want to convert those results into wins if they are to challenge for the title this season.

Mario Balotelli may return to the bench for this game after picking up a knee injury 10 days ago. Aleksander Korolov, Jerome Boateng and Wayne Bridge are still sidelined.

Possible Manchester City Line Up: Hart, Richards, Lescott, Kompany, Kolo Toure, De Jong, Yaya Toure, Barry, Johnson, Silva and Tevez (4-3-3)

Head to Head

Manchester City needed a late goal last season to secure a 1-1 draw here but that is an exceptional result in recent meetings between the sides.

City had won 10 of 11 Premier League meetings between the sides before that draw, and that included the last 9 in a row.

City have won 4 in a row at the Stadium of Light before that draw last season.

Prediction

Sunderland need to get a positive result to remove some of the pressure on Steve Bruce from the supporters but this is a tough ask for them here as the squad continues to be revamped. Darren Bent is a lively threat for the Black Cats, but this is the toughest test they have been asked this season so far.

Manchester City look like they are definitely moving in the right direction and have been solid in their games so far this season. They have many different options that they can utilise and have a deep squad. This is a venue where they will want to pick up maximum points if they have serious ambitions of challenging for the title this season.

I do not want to start backing City in away games at odds on this season, not until I am more than satisfied that they are the real deal and removed some of those draws they were getting last season.

However, they do have a fantastic record here at the Stadium of Light and they are going to be a hard team to beat. Sunderland have not looked that convincing yet and that could be due to the transfer window being open. Goals have been a common theme in games here between the sides and I feel both of these have those capabilites in them.

I will pick the Over 2.5 goals option as City concede their first goal of the season.

The Pick :

Sunderland 1-2 Manchester City

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Over 2.5 Goals