Manchester City are playing the bottom club in the League away from home and you can already feel the excitement building in the media at the prospect of a Huddersfield victory. Copy already no doubt filed describing with glee the fraud that is Pep Guardiola and analysing the cost of the starting elevens.
Certainly this is one of those games which stands out in terms of the number of statistics which abound. This match pitches the lowest scorers in the league against the highest scorers. That of course means that if you are a follower of expected goals you may be bubbling in a frenzy. City come into the match having scored 99 goals already so far this season. City have only conceded one goal so far this year against Liverpool.
There are also interesting statistics concerning individual players. Sergio Aguero has scored 6 goals in his last 3 games against Huddersfield but whether or not he is unleashed against them again will be down to Guardiola. Whilst Aguero is making his return from injury, Gabriel Jesus has started to develop the kind of run of form which may make him undroppable. Plus of course City have not lost a league game in which he has scored.
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Huddersfield are on a poor run of form. They have not won a game since claiming a victory away at Wolves on 25 November. Since then they have been on a run of 9 losses and a draw in all competitions. Of course it is this poor run which has caused David Wagner to lose his job as manager and sees Mark Hudson take charge for the first time as caretaker manager.
But what all of this causes to a Manchester City fan is worry. The records and statistics make me anxious and concerned that we will lose the game. If any side can turn an easy victory into defeat then it is Manchester City. Will Guardiola allow the squad to coast the match, believing it is won by turning up? That does not like sound like Guardiola who will likely be working hard with his players to make them aware of the risks there are.
Will City face any kind of new manager bounce caused by the players wanting to play for their caretaker manager? Will there be a change of formation and personnel for Huddersfield who frankly have nothing to lose? None of this can be predicted so let us hope Pep and City instead focus on their own game.
At the Etihad earlier in the season, City expected Huddersfield to sit deep and pack their defence which they did, but City packed their midfield with ball playing little players and did not deploy any wingers, rendering the Huddersfield approach undone. If Guardiola ever has a game in the Premier League where there is a prospect of playing two strikers then this may be it.
City have just two players unavailable for the game with Benjamin Mendy and Vincent Kompany missing out through injury. The next match is the dead rubber of the Carabao Cup Semi Final second leg so there is no earthly reason for Guardiola to pick anything other than his best players.In fact many of them may well get a short break after this game.
This should be a match where our team should be too strong to lose. Let us hope the referee does not play a part in the game as we have already had our fair share of poor decisions this season. The weather will be cold and let us hope our team can rouse a performance from the chill to keep us all warm.
Manchester City Predicted Starting XI
Goalkeeper
Ederson
Defence
Walker, Stones, Laporte, Danilo
Midfield
Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo
Attack
Sane, Aguero, Sterling