Manchester City will try to close the gap on league-leading Chelsea when they host Stoke City at the Etihad Stadium in an important English Premier League match this Wednesday, March 8th. Man City is coming off of a 2-0 win in Sunderland on Sunday while Stoke downed Middlesbrough 2-0 at home.
Manchester City vs Stoke City Odds – Pinnacle Soccer Betting Line:
- Pinnacle currently lists Man City as the favorites to win the game at -402 with Stoke +1260 and a draw at +580
Manchester City vs Stoke City – Head to Head:
- The two teams clashed in league action in August with Man City winning 4-1 in Stoke. They also met twice in league action last season with Man City winning 4-0 at home Stoke winning 2-0 at home. The clubs have met 110 times in the past with Man City winning 49, losing 37 and drawing the other 24. Stoke has won just three of the past 15 meetings along with four draws and eight losses.
Manchester City – A Closer Look:
Manchester City is still aiming for the Premier League title and enters the game in third place in the standings. They’ve lost just four of their past 23 games in all competitions with 13 wins and six draws and have won half of their past 30 contests overall. Man City has 55 points from 17 victories, four draws and five defeats with 53 goals scored and 29 conceded. At home this season, Man City has seven wins, four draws and a loss with 28 goals for and 16 against.
They have eight wins, a draw and two defeats in their past 11 league outings with 21 goals for and 10 against. Man City trails league-leading Chelsea by 11 points and has a game in hand. They also trail second-place Tottenham Hotspur by just one point with a game in hand and are three points in front of third-place Liverpool, five in front of fifth-place Arsenal and six points upon sixth-place Manchester United with a game in hand on Liverpool.
As far as injuries go for this match, manager Pep Guardiola is hoping to have defender and skipper Vincent Kompany back in the squad, but it appears that striker Gabriel Jesus and midfielder Ilkay Gundogan will both be out for the remainder of the season.
Stoke City – A Closer Look:
Stoke City enters the game in ninth place in the Premier League with just 35 points out of a possible 83 after 27 games. They have nine wins, eight draws and 10 defeats with 32 goals for and 40 against. Stoke has four victories, four draws and four losses in their past 12 league contests with 15 goals scored and 18 allowed.
Away from home, they have three wins, three draws and seven defeats with 14 goals scored and 21 allowed. Stoke is now 14 points behind sixth-place Manchester United so don’t have a realistic shot at the Europa League and they’re 13 points ahead of 18th-place Middlesbrough, so relegation doesn’t seem to be a problem either. As usual, Stoke City will endure yet another mediocre season and wind up somewhere around mid-table.
Manager Mark Hughes has a few injuries to deal with heading into Etihad Stadium as forward Xherdan Shaqiri and defender Bruno Martins Indi are both questionable. Meanwhile, goaltender Jack Butland is still on the sidelines and midfielder Stephen Ireland may possibly miss the remainder of the 2016/17 campaign. Stoke has dropped five of their past six away outings.
Manchester City vs Stoke City – Takeaway
Man City has to win to keep within a realistic distance of league-leading Chelsea. A win for them here would see them climb within eight points of first place.