Aitor Karanka hopes that his Middlesbrough side can
replicate their performance at Arsenal a couple of weeks ago when they take on
Manchester City this weekend.
After a goalless draw away at the Emirates, Boro recorded
their first home win of the season by beating Bournemouth last Saturday and
their manager believes that his side can cause problems for league leaders.
“It’s just about going into the game the same way that we
went into Arsenal and knowing that it’s going to be a really tough game, but
why can’t we do something there?,” said Karanka.
Pep Guardiola’s City side should be full of confidence after
their stunning victory over Barcelona in mid-week.
Karanka is familiar with his Spanish compatriot, who managed
Barcelona when Karanka was the assistant manager at Real Madrid.
“They [Man City] scored goals [against Barcelona] playing on
the counter attack so maybe it’s new for Pep Guardiola’s style, but then again,
they have done that before so it’s nothing new,” said the Boro boss.
“When you know how big the coach and players are that you’re
up against it’s about thinking about ourselves. We have been working for
three years to play games like this.”
Team News
Karanka should have Marten De Roon and Cristhian Stuani
available again after both missed last weekend’s victory over Bournemouth with
knocks.
Daniel Ayala remains doubtful with an ankle injury while
Gaston Ramirez, who scored one of the goals of the season against Bournemouth last
Saturday, is suspended after picking up five yellow cards.
City are still without Bacary Sagna and Fabian Delph who
have hamstring and groin injuries respectively.
Yaya Toure could return to the squad after publicly
apologising to the club.
The Opposition
City remain many people’s favourites to win the title, even
though many of their players are still adjusting to Pep Guardiola’s style of
play.
Before last week’s 4-0 demolition of West Brom, City had
gone six games without a win and made mistakes while trying to emulate their
manager’s philosophy of passing the ball out from the back.
Yet, against Barcelona there were ominous signs of the beast
that City could become under Guardiola. Not only did they pass the ball with
zest and fluidity, they also pressed the Spanish giants high up the pitch and
were devastating on the counter attack.
Guardiola appears to have rejuvenated several players who,
by their own standards, underperformed last season. The most notable of which
has been Raheem Sterling, however the likes of Nicolas Otamendi, Fernandinho
and Aleksandar Kolarov have also be revitalised.
Even so City have been caught out when teams have pressed
them high up the pitch this season, a tactic which Tottenham and Celtic
deployed seamlessly.
One To Watch
Kevin De Bruyne
It was no coincidence that City’s title bid fell flat when
De Bruyne picked up an injury in the second half of last season.
This campaign, the Belgian international he has gone from
strength to strength and already recorded two goals and six assists in 10
league games.
His tireless energy and quality in the final third make him
a fundamental component in Guardiola’s side.
Last Time Out
Manchester City 0
Middlesbrough 2 – 24/1/2015
Boro pulled off a memorable FA Cup upset at Etihad Stadium
two years ago when goals from Patrick Bamford and Kike sent City out.
After repelling City’s pressure in the first half, Boro took
a shock lead eight minutes after the interval when Bamford capitalised on an
error Fernando to side the ball home.
The visitors hung on and were rewarded in the dying minutes
when Kike slotted the ball past goalkeeper Willy Caballero with a neat finish.
No comments:
Post a Comment