Manchester City ‘v’ AaB Aalborg – Preview

Following a superb victory against Aston Villa last week, Man City have the chance to continue their brilliant home form when they entertain AaB Aalborg in the last 16 round of the UEFA Cup. A two-legged tie will determine which team progresses to the quarter finals, so the Blues will hope to gain the upper hand to take to Denmark in the second leg. The Danish side, with their majestic full name of Aalborg Boldspilklub, eased comfortably past the challenge of Deportivo La Coruna in the previous round and have experience of travelling to Manchester for a European competition, having already gained a surprising point when facing City’s bitter rivals, Manchester United, in the Champions League group stages.

City have performed with greater assurance in the UEFA Cup, soon to be called the Europa Cup, than they have done in the Premier League, and a number of well-respected bookmakers have now installed the Blues as favourites for this prestigious competition. City have already overcome two Danish sides to get to this stage, namely FC Midtjylland and FC Copenhagen, so will be coming up against a well-known style of football. The visitors are behind Copenhagen in the Danish table, so judging by how easily City won in the last round, Aalborg should pose a limited threat, but we all know matters concerning the Blues are never that straightforward.

AaB Aalborg travel to Manchester yet again for a European match 

Team News

Blues boss Mark Hughes will have to make at least one change from the side that defeated Aston Villa, with ‘Nifty Nige’ de Jong ineligible for this competition, having already featured in it for Hamburg earlier in the season. Bulgarian striker Valeri Bojinov is also ineligible for the tie having not been registered by the Blues. Brazilian superstar Robinho is 50/50 for the match, having missed the previous game with an injury. Fiery Welsh striker Craig Bellamy is definitely out of this match, and possibly the return leg, with a knee injury that is expected to sideline him for a total of two weeks. In defence, Micah Richards is pushing for a recall after missing the Villa game, but his place remains in doubt following the sterling performance at right-back of Argentinean hard-man Pablo Zabaleta. 

AaB Aalborg are an extremely capable side, who were in this year’s Champions League, finishing third in their group behind Man United and Villareal. They recorded an impressive 6 – 1 aggregate victory over Spanish side Deportivo in the round of 32, so are certainly no mugs. Their manager, Magnus Pehrsson, formerly of Bradford, is able to call upon the services of Jamaican forward Luton Shelton, once of Sheffield United, who has a remarkable scoring record for his country, having notched 27 goals in just 42 appearances. He has also scored against City in the past, having given Sheffield United the lead in an FA Cup tie a couple of seasons ago, with a goal now infamous due to the presence of umpteen balloons on the pitch at the time.

Luton Shelton celebrates after scoring in an FA Cup tie against City.
P.S. A sight I never want to see again – Gelson Fer****** in a City shirt, lurking in the background

My Team (4-3-3)

                                     Given

Zabaleta          Dunne                Onuoha        Bridge

                                  Kompany

                     Elano                       Ireland

SWP                                                             Robinho

                                   Evans

Subs: Hart, Richards, Garrido, Logan, Caicedo, Vassell, Weiss

Key Battles

Shay Given ‘v’ Karim Zaza

Since signing for City during the January transfer window, Given has firmly established himself as the number one, impressing on many occasions, none more so than on his debut against Middlesborough. He’s a very commanding figure in net, and in such a crucial game like this, his experience will be invaluable. Zaza is a Moroccan international goalkeeper who started his career as a striker, but was moved back due to his rather powerful temper. He starred for City’s previous UEFA Cup opponents, FC Copenhagen, for a five-year period and has made 57 starts for his current side.

Karim Zaza will hope to keep a clean sheet for the visitors

Shaun Wright-Phillips ‘v’ Anders Due 

SWP was an instrumental figure in the victory against Aston Villa, with his pace and trickery causing numerous problems for the Villains’ defence. If he is on his game against Aalborg, then the visitors can expect to be tormented. Anders Due, a name which obviously gives itself to puns, due to its spelling (sorry, had to do that), is a goalscoring left-winger, who notched two goals against Deportivo and was a constant threat with his ability to cut inside. Whoever causes more problems out of these two wingers could influence the game in their sides’ favour.

Richard Dunne ‘v’ Luton Shelton

Richard ‘I Love Chocolate’ Dunne has been in terrific form since his return from suspension, displaying all the capabilities which won him ‘Player of the Year’ for a record-breaking four consecutive years. He will be up against Shelton, a live-wire and unorthodox forward, who made his Premier League debut against Man United.

Verdict: Man City 2 – 0 AaB Aalborg 

City to continue their magnificent UEFA Cup form with a sparkling home victory, giving them a comfortable lead going into the away leg. Goals to be scored by Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips.