Manchester City will be looking to carry on their electrifying form when they take on Stoke City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Citizens went into the international break on the back of what was arguably their best performance of the season against champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, culminating in a comprehensive 1-0 victory. The charismatic Kevin De Bruyne hit a fantastic strike past fellow Belgian Thibaut Courtois to silence the home crowd and defeat his old team.
Stoke City will provide a stern test for City as they narrowly beat a low-scoring Southampton side 2-1 at the Bet365 Stadium, with Peter Crouch scoring a late winner. The Potters have injury problems in defence and will be without captain Ryan Shawcross and fellow centre-back Bruno Martins-Indi. This will bring more confidence to the home side going forward tomorrow.
With Manchester United playing against Liverpool at lunchtime, City will need to ensure they get the three points and prepare for any potential slip-ups from their rivals. They cannot be complacent, otherwise the curse of past seasons may come back to haunt the Citizens. Victory is paramount for the title race.
Here is how we think Pep Guardiola will line up his team for the match.
