Stuttgart vs. Manchester City: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info
After a tour of Australia and a match against the Vietnam national side, Manchester City face Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in their final pre-season game of the summer on Saturday.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini has experimented so far—both in terms of personnel and tactics—but this weekend’s final preparation game against the Bundesliga side is likely to see him play an XI that is close to the one that will start against West Bromwich Albion in City’s opening match on August 10.
City’s quartet of South American stars, who have been given extra time to recover from their Copa America exertions, won't be considered for this game. Pellegrini is known to want his players to enjoy a 30-day rest during the summer in order to ensure they are fully recovered and free of injuries.
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All eyes after this game will be focused on the match at the Hawthorns, with City selected for the Monday night televised slot once again. The last two times that has happened, they have finished the season as champions.
Date: Saturday, August 1
Kick-Off: 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET
TV Listings: beIN SPORTS CONNECT, Fubo TV, beIN Sports USA (U.S.)
Live Stream: MCFC official site (UK & RoI)
"City fans in the UK & ROI can watch tomorrow's game against @VfB via our live stream! Info: http://t.co/PbSQ5U5Vkb pic.twitter.com/Q0Zo2EA5HK
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) July 31, 2015"
Form Guide (last five league results)
Stuttgart
SC Paderborn 07 1-2 Stuttgart
Stuttgart 2-1 Hamburg
Stuttgart 2-0 Mainz
Schalke 3-2 Stuttgart
Stuttgart 2-2 FC Freiburg
City
City 2-0 Southampton
Swansea 2-4 City
City 6-0 QPR
Tottenham 0-1 City
City 3-2 Aston Villa
Predicted Formations
Stuttgart (4-4-1-1)
Tyton Przemyslaw; Daniel Schwaab, Georg Niedermeier, Stephen Sama, Philip Heise; Martin Harnik, Christian Gentner, Serey Die, Filip Kostic; Daniel Didavi; Timo Werner
City (4-2-3-1)
Joe Hart; Bacary Sagna, Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala, Aleksandar Kolarov; Manu Garcia, George Evans; Jesus Navas, David Silva, Samir Nasri; Raheem Sterling
Players to Watch
Stuttgart: Christian Gentner
Stuttgart captain Christian Gentner is in his second spell with the club, having won the Bundesliga with them in 2007 before moving to Wolfsburg, where he once again tasted league success.
He has the quality and experience to hurt City. He gives his side defensive solidity and has a passing style that can cause problems going forward.
Gentner is central to everything Stuttgart do, and Pellegrini will need to make his players aware of his influence.
City: David Silva
Reading too much into pre-season form is a dangerous game, but David Silva has excelled for City during their tour of Australia.
If City stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation they ended last season with, Silva thrives in the No. 10 role behind a main striker. It's there he can inflict the most damage with his ability to float into dangerous areas and pick passes with his wonderful technique and vision.
City have spent heavily since the takeover in 2008 by Sheikh Mansour, but very few of their recruits have proven to be better than the Spaniard. He will once again be a key player for Pellegrini's side this season.
Key Battle: Serey Die vs. David Silva
Stopping Silva is always crucial when facing City, and in 30-year-old Serey Die, Stuttgart have a specialist defensive midfielder capable of shackling creative players.
He will no doubt be detailed to nullify Silva as best he can. That, of course, comes with its own risk. Many sides have dedicated one man to stopping the midfielder, but it seldom works, with Silva's ability to ghost past players and find areas of space so difficult to combat.
Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.
