Manchester City v Sunderland

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PREVIEW

Saturday, October 6
Manchester City v Sunderland
Etihad Stadium
Kick-off: 12.45 BST.
TV: Sky Sports 2, Highlights BBC1 Match of the Day.

City (Possible, 4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Nastasic, Kompany, Clichy; Rodwell, Barry; Silva, Y Touré, Sinclair; Tévez.
Out: Maicon (heel), Richards (ankle).
Tests: Javi Garcia (thigh), T Youré (unspecified)

Sunderland (Possible, 4-4-1-1): Mignolet; Gardner, O’Shea, Bramble, Rose; Johnson, Larsson, Colback, McClean; Sessegnon; Fletcher.
Out: Bardsley (ankle), Brown (knee), Cattermole (suspended),
Test: Cuéllar (hamstring).

Referee: Lee Probert. Matches: 4, R0 Y12.

Team News
Manchester City have injury concerns over midfielders Javi Garcia and Yaya Touré.

Garcia was substituted in the first half against Borussia Dortmund in midweek while Touré appeared to be limping towards the end of the game, although manager Roberto Mancini played down fears.
Central defender Joleon Lescott could be restored after being left out of Wednesday's Champions League match but right-backs Maicon and Micah Richards remain sidelined.
Sunderland, meanwhile, could reall defender Carlos Cuéllar.
The Spaniard is back in training after missing the last three games and manager Martin O'Neill is hoping he will be available.
Midfielder Lee Cattermole serves the second game of his three-match ban, while Phil Bardsley and Wes Brown have both stepped up their bids for fitness, although while Bardsley is some way ahead of Brown, his first competitive action is likely to come for the Under-21s on Monday.
Match Notes
Two big questions are facing Manchester City.
The first is whether they can stop Steven Fletcher from scoring for a fifth successive Premier League for Sunderland and, secondly, if they can achieve that, whether Roberto Mancini's team can finally register a clean sheet this season.
Clearly, there are other issues and problems to be addressed at City, with the champions making an unconvincing start to the campaign, but the here and now is all about beating Sunderland and if they answer the two big questions positively, the points will be in the bag.