Stoke v Man City Tip

Roberto Mancini doesn’t enjoy going to Stoke. The Manchester City boss was delighted to get the the league trip to the Britannia Stadium over and done with in September this season, so you can only imagine his joy when the FA Cup 4th round draw was made!

Before that league encounter the Italian commented: “We need to think only about Stoke because we never win there - it is a difficult pitch - but it is better we have this game now than the end, like last year.”

The 48-year-old has a point, which, ironically, is what the Citizens always seem to get from a trip to the Potteries. City have never won at the Britannia and last tasted victory at Stoke way back in 1999. Yet, every year the Blues win comfortably at the Etihad and in 2011 they also beat Tony Pulis’s boys in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

Perhaps this is why Man City are nothing longer than 4/5 (Coral) to break their duck in Staffordshire on Saturday. Instead, the draw looks tempting at 14/5 (BetVictor). But how about this. Stoke’s last four home league games against Mancini’s City have ALL ended 1-1. That obviously doesn’t mean it will happen again, but it does make best odds of 15/2 (BetVictor) on that particular scoreline look fantastic.