Manchester City are finally back to winning ways after they overcame West Brom at the Hawthorns on Saturday – and their supporters here in the Tavern are absolutely delighted.
It had been a tricky couple of weeks for the Citizens but now with three points behind them, they’ll be looking to kick on and take their form into this weekend’s game.
Standing in their way? Middlesbrough, who will be feeling rather chipper themselves after an impressive 2-0 win over Bournemouth.
Aitor Karanka’s team had been somewhat struggling but a win over the Cherries has really boosted confidence at the Riverside and they might fancy their chances against an inconsistent City side.
But who should we be looking out for in the ranks? Who will shine and lead their team to victory?
With that in mind, here’s three players to look out for in the Man City vs Middlesbrough game…
Alvaro Negredo
Spaniard Alvaro Negredo spent a year at Manchester City before being ruthlessly sold on months later.
He scored 23 goals in all competitions that season for the Citizens but has found goals hard to come by in a rather isolated striking role at Boro.
But he’ll relish the chance to come up against his former employers and the opportunity to get three points here will be a real motivation for Negredo to play out of his skin.
Gaston Ramirez
A superb solo goal against Bournemouth once-again highlighted how good Gaston Ramirez really is – but how his form is so up and down.
The former Southampton man could be the player to bring much-needed creativity and buzz to the Boro ranks and he could be a real thorn in City’s side this weekend.
His movement is good and he’s got plenty of skill in his locker too. City will have to be wary.
Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero is back in-form and his two goals against West Brom proved he isn’t at City to make up the numbers.
He was dropped for a couple of big games in the past couple of weeks but he came back fighting at the Hawthorns.
Aguero very much remains a big player in this City side and he’ll fancy his chances against lowly Boro.
