Not for the first time this season, City go into their next match desperately in need of a win to try keep alive some of the hopes of success in the season which seems to be slipping through our fingers, but also needing a win to try appease the press and fans who’re on the backs of the players and manager after some admittedly very bad performances as of late. QPR are the opponents on Saturday, as The Blues head to a ground that hasn’t been the easiest place to visit in the last few years.
This is the first time City have met QPR since January 2013 at Loftus Road. QPR went down that season and were bottom of the league when The Blues visited London, but in a fashion typical to that season squandered several good chances and an inspired performance from Julio Cesar also kept the visitors at bay in a 0-0 draw. Dropped points like that would go on to cost City, because United ended up winning the title that season, as we well remember.
Earlier that season, QPR visited Manchester just a few months after that title-winning game, and once again left as the losers having given their hosts a scare – although admittedly, not a scare to the scale of the one in the last game of the season prior. Yaya Touré, Edin Džeko and Carlos Tévez all scored for City on a day that was more difficult than it needed to be.
Of course, no game against QPR will ever be remembered as well as the one in May of 2012. No City fan needs reminding of the significance of that game or the ecstasy caused by it, but we’ll all be hoping that we don’t leave it that late to score the winner again.
City make the trip to Loftus Road missing some of their key players, as confirmed by Manuel Pellegrini. David Silva and Aleksandar Kolarov both miss out, whilst Frank Lampard is finally fit to return from injury; news that’ll be welcome to many-a blue. However, Vincent Kompany will be out of Saturday’s trip to London with a calf injury that could keep him out of Belgium’s international squad too. The injury to the Belgian skipper means we’re likely to see Mangala line up next to Demichelis in central defence.
City’s weekend hosts however, are having much better luck at the minute, with 4 players returning from injury in time to face the champions at the home of last season’s play-off winners. Alex McCarthy is to have a late fitness test to see if he can get into the squad, whilst Jordan Mutch and ex-City men Joey Barton and Nedum Onuoha are both back in time for the visit of their former employers. The only injured man is Alejandro Faurlin, who’s out until the summer with an ACL injury.
Both sides need a win for very different reasons. QPR are in need of one to try and lift themselves out of the relegation zone, where they’ve been stuck for some time now. With just 7 points from 10 games and just two wins, the only team worse off is Burnley on 4. However, if QPR bagged a win against the champions, it could give them the confidence to go on and stay up this year. No matter how poor City’s form is, a scalp like that is still massive.
In the other dugout, City need a win to try and retain some hope of the title. Hopes of the League Cup faded with the defeat to Newcastle, and Champions League knockout stages qualification looks increasingly more unlikely after the loss to CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night. That means Pellegrini needs to go all-out for the league and the FA Cup to have any hope of success this year. Whilst he probably won’t be sacked even if this does turn out to be a trophyless year, winning a domestic title won’t do him any harm.
