15th Sep 2012 | Football
Stoke v Man City Tip
The champions have never won at the Britannia Stadium in the Premier League era. Three times out of four they have escaped with a share of the spoils and it could happen again.
The bookies have no hesitation in making City 3/4 shots (PaddyPower) to win at the Britannia Stadium despite the fact it’s something they haven’t done since 1999. History would suggest that the far more likely outcome is the draw at a best price of 14/5 with bodog.
The stats make for a compelling case. Stoke are very much the draw specialists of the top flight with six of their last seven outings ending level. They also hold their own consistently against the big guns with 7 of their previous 11 home games against last season’s top six ending as draws - 3 of the other 4 were Potters wins.
It was 1-1 in the corresponding fixture last campaign when Peter Crouch scored one of the goals of the season. He now has Michael Owen for company who is in line to make his debut.
The champions will have one eye on their upcoming Champions League clash with Real Madrid and Roberto Mancini may rest a few key individuals. It starts to feel like the upset could be on, but City have immense strength in depth these days and the draw looks most likely.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 13:36 15th Sep, 2012 but subject to change
