Manchester City Look to Move Up in EPL Standings

If City has any intentions of competing in the Champions League next season, now is the time to get serious. 

Only trailing fourth-place Tottenham by a lone point and having played two less games, City has a golden opportunity to leap frog the Spurs for a top four place in the Premier League. With its next three games against lower tier clubs in the bottom half of the league, now is the perfect chance to stay toe-to-toe with the EPL's best. 

And with four games in a 10-day span, City could potentially climb as high as third. 

But City can't afford to play down to the opposition's level like it had been in the last few months. This season, City has drawn against struggling Bolton, Hull City, Wigan, and Burnley, all of whom are in legitimate contention for relegation.

And if City plans on impressing Europe's best in the CL, it can't afford dropping two points to the EPL's riffraff. 

"We need a full squad to choose from with four games in 10 days coming up," Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini told City's website. "They may not be teams challenging at the top of the table, but they will all be difficult matches—perhaps more so than the teams in the top six."

This Saturday, City travels to lowly Hull City, who escaped Eastlands with a 1-1 draw in late November. Hull, who has the worst goal differential in the league with -26, did add a little offensive fire power with the acquisition of Egypt-international striker Amr Zaki on loan from Zamalek FC.

And despite having the worst defense in the league, Mancini knows Hull is very much a threat.

“Hull are not easy to beat on their own pitch, as they proved by holding Chelsea to a draw this week, and they will provide a stiff test for us," Mancini said on the website. "We need to play with concentration and heart because they will fight hard and we have to be ready for that.”

Thankfully, City will have a healthy Wayne Bridge in the starting lineup and Lescott will likely be dressed on the bench, according to reports on the Manchester City website. Mancini also lead reporters to believe Patrick Vieira will make his debut in blue, along with newly acquired former England Under-21 winger from Middlesbrough, Adam Johnson.

Johnson and Vieira were City's lone additions during the January transfer window after failing to bring in a defender and Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago.

But with the transfer window closed and the second half of City's campaign underway, all that matters from here on out is obtaining points. And once again, these next three matches are crucial ones.

Following the Hull match, City travels back to Eastlands to host Bolton on Tuesday. City trailed the Wanderers on three separate occasions at the Reebok in December before escaping with a 3-3 draw.

And despite being in the midst of the relegation battle with three other clubs with 21 points, Bolton was fortunate enough to lure two young starlets on loan from two of the English giants. Arsenal's Jack Wilshire and City's Vladimir Weiss will be in blue and white for the remainder of the season. 

After Bolton City plays Stoke twice, once at home for the FA Cup on Saturday, February 13, and again at the Brittania Stadium the following Tuesday for an EPL clash.

Even though Stoke stunned Arsenal in its most recent FA Cup match, the Potters have just two wins against top half clubs. Stoke made the trek to Eastlands once already this season, where City outright outplayed the visitors for a 2-0 win.

City desperately needs points over the 10-day, four game span. After Stoke, it's back to the big dogs. City's next three matches are Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham, all of whom are above City and even though a win isn't out of the picture, it'll be much tougher to obtain than against the previous three clubs. 

These next few games are vital for City's standings in the table, but more importantly, its confidence.