Man City vs Timisoara – Mancini preparing to rotate squad
Published:Roberto Mancini is expected to give some first-team playing time to many of his fringe players as Manchester City aim to complete their progress to the group stages of the Europa League in the second leg of their clash with FC Timisoara.
Mario Balotelli stepped off the bench to score the only goal in the first leg in Romania, but he has been ruled out of making his debut at Eastlands since arriving from Inter Milan because of a knee problem.
James Milner was not registered in time after moving from Aston Villa so also misses out, while Wayne Bridge, Jerome Boateng and Alexsander Kolarov are injured.
Mancini’s team are the 6/1 favourites to win the Europa League, with part of the reason being the depth of their squad after a summer of heavy spending.
Shaun Wright-Phillips, David Silva and Emmanuel Adebayor were among the substitutes for their recent Premier League win over Liverpool and are all expected to start against Timisoara.
Manchester City are an unbackable 1/7 to triumph in the second leg, with better value on offer in trying to find the right first scorer or the correct scoreline.
City have failed to concede a goal in their three games thus far this season and with goals expected against the Romanian minnows, the 9/1 on offer for a 5-0 victory could prove profitable.
Meanwhile, Robinho’s proposed move to Fenerbahce has collapsed after he decided that he did not want to play in Turkey.
The Brazilian has revealed that he has a greater interest in playing in either Italy or Spain and is prepared to wait and hold out for a late deal before the end of the transfer window.
A repeat of ther first leg 1-0 win in Manchester City’s favour against Timisoara is 8/1. See the whole correct score market.
