5/10/2007

CITY striker Rolando Bianchi is not fit to return for Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash with Middlesbrough.

The £8.8million Italian summer signing missed last weekend's win over Newcastle and is still unable to take a full part in training.

He will sit out the Boro visit along with two other strikers in Darius Vassell and Valeri Bojinov.

Manager Sven Goran Eriksson admits he is unsure who his best goalkeeper is but Joe Hart looks set to continue ahead of Kasper Schmeichel.

Gareth Southgate will allow key strikers Mido and Tuncay Sanli the maximum amount of time to prove their fitness.

The Boro physios are working overtime on Egyptian international Mido, who has a back-related hamstring strain, and Turkish team-mate Tuncay, who has severe bruising on a leg injury, though he is the closest of the pair to passing a fitness test.

Dong-Gook Lee and Tom Craddock are on standby to start.

Number two keeper Brad Jones is receiving treatment on his sore thigh, though efforts to recall Ross Turnbull from his season-long loan at Cardiff as cover have so far ended in failure.

Manchester City (from): Hart, Schmeichel, Corluka, Onuoha, Sun, Dunne, Richards, Garrido, Ball, Geovanni, Dabo, Fernandes, Hamann, Johnson, Ireland, Petrov, Elano, Samaras, Mpenza, Etuhu.

Middlesgrough (from): Schwarzer, Young, Taylor, Wheater, Woodgate, Boateng, Rochemback, O’Neil, Downing, Tuncay, Mido, Lee, Craddock, Jones, Steele, Davies, Riggott, Hines, Owens, Cattermole.

Last season: City 1 Boro 0

Key opponent: Stewart Downing - Quality left sided midfielder and the Blues will have to be wary of his crossing ability

Prediction: City 2 Boro 0 - If the Blues - notably Elano and Martin Petrov - can reproduce their form of last week then they should win

Agree with the prediction? Have your say.

Manchester Evening News