Manchester City vs Swansea City. Premier League.
Etihad StadiumAttendance53,052.
Saturday 12 December 2015 15:05, UK
Swansea begin life without manager Garry Monk with a trip to Manchester City on Saturday.
The Swans' poor run of form cost Monk his job on Wednesday, with coaches Pep Clotet, James Beattie and Kristian O'Leary following him out of the door.
A number of names have been linked with the vacant managerial position, but it will be first-team coach Alan Curtis in the dugout this weekend as the Swans look to snap a five-match winless run.
They start the weekend 15th in the table, having won just one of their last 12 games in all competitions.
Man City suffered a surprise defeat at Stoke in their last league outing but beat Borussia Monchengladbach 4-2 on Tuesday to finish top of their Champions League group.
They would go top of the Premier League with victory as Arsenal and Leicester play on Sunday and Monday respectively.
Team news
Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany are again missing for City but defender Martin Demichelis is available after being rested as a precaution in midweek.
Striker Aguero (foot) has missed City's last three games and captain Kompany (calf) has been out for the last six matches, but both could return to training next week.
Midfielder Fernando (hamstring) and right-back Pablo Zabaleta (knee) are not yet fit. Playmaker Samir Nasri is a long-term casualty.
French defender Franck Tabanou is the only definite absentee for Swansea with a thigh muscle injury.
But Curtis could make changes after the 3-0 home defeat to Leicester which sealed Monk's fate, and that could mean recalls for Federico Fernandez and Jonjo Shelvey among others.
Opta stats
Swansea have won just one of their last eight Premier League away outings (W1 D2 L5).
Wilfried Bony has scored four goals in the last three Premier League meetings between Man City and Swansea.
Yaya Toure has scored four goals in the last three league meetings between Man City and Swansea.
Man City have fired in more shots on target than any other team in the Premier League so far this season (99).
Man City have had the most different scorers in the Premier League this season (13), while Swansea have had the joint-fewest (four).
Paul Merson's prediction
Swansea; no manager, can't buy a win. I see the misery continuing here before they get a new man in.
Manchester City second half against Monchengladbach were good, despite getting battered at Stoke. But Bony against his old team, I can't see anything other than a win.
City don't really play attacking, free-flowing football away from home, they don't score many on their travels either. Sometimes they don't pick themselves up, but I can see it here.
PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0
Betting
Man City are big odds-on favourites at 30/100 with Sky Bet to defeat managerless Swansea, who can be backed for a surprise victory at 8/1.
City No 1 Joe Hart has kept more clean sheets in the Premier League than any other goalkeeper this season and Manuel Pellegrini's side are 11/8 with Sky Bet for a win to nil at the Etihad Stadium.
Sergio Aguero heads the first goalscorer odds at 5/2. The Soccer Saturday pundits and Jamie Redknapp have provided their Sky Bet tips, including Matt Le Tissier backing Raheem Sterling to add to his midweek heroics by scoring first at 5/1.
