Manchester City Hope Hull History Repeats as Sergio Aguero Bolsters Attack

Manchester City’s win over Hull at the KC Stadium last March proved somewhat of a turning point in their season.

They went into the match nine points behind leaders Chelsea, and were down to 10 men early on after the dismissal of Vincent Kompany. At that stage, even the most optimistic of supporters must surely have felt City’s title challenge was over.

However, David Silva’s excellence saw them dominate the match despite their numerical disadvantage, and the Spaniard curled in the first goal, before Edin Dzeko sealed a 2-0 victory in the final moments. Chelsea then lost the evening game to Aston Villa, and City’s title challenge was back in full swing.

Belief suddenly ran through the players' veins. The likes of Martin Demichelis and Javi Garcia, players who struggled until that point, gained huge belief after overcoming adversity in Hull, and their form improved drastically. The momentum shifted that afternoon, and their win at the KC became the catalyst for their title triumph come May.

Now, without a league win since beating Liverpool 3-1 on the second weekend of the season, City are in need of another important result on the Humber Estuary, and with Sergio Aguero set to return after missing the midweek Capital One Cup demolition of Sheffield Wednesday, their chances at three points increase greatly.

So far this term, Aguero has offered glimpses of the sharpness he showed during the first half of last season, scoring three league goals in five appearances already.

His goal at Newcastle was the first demonstration of his instincts, rising to his feet after his first effort was saved to slot home from a difficult angle past Tim Krul. It was the kind of goal very few other strikers could have scored, with a mixture of balance, poise and desire only he can muster.

He then scored 17 seconds after coming on against Liverpool, a perfect touch with his left setting up a right-footed strike, before his first-time finish against Arsenal after a quick break down the right further underlined the return of his predatory nature. He's the envy of the league, and it's easy to see why.

City, of course, have options in the striking department. Dzeko's physical presence and aerial ability provide a wonderful foil for City's more nimble players, and Stevan Jovetic's energy brings an eagerness that they often lack in his absence. But it's Aguero's killer instinct that often sets City apart from the opposition.

At his press conference earlier this afternoon, Pellegrini confirmed Aguero was fit again, but ruled out Fernando, Jovetic and Samir Nasri.

"We continue with Jovetic and Fernando out of the team. I think both of them will be ready next week, and Samir Nasri also has a groin problem. Sergio [Aguero] and David [Silva] are both okay," he said.

Pellegrini also said he felt the midweek win over Sheffield Wednesday was important given his side's run of games without a win.

"Of course, I think it was a very useful match for our team. We were not scoring too many goals here at home.

"In the last four games, we didn’t win our games. We were not playing bad, but we did not win, so it was important to win in the way we did on Wednesday, and I hope this can continue in the future—especially tomorrow against Hull, because in the Premier League we cannot drop more points."

A win over Hull could well be what's needed to kick-start their campaign once again.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard.