17.05. (Tue) 20:45 Manchester City - Stoke City

DID YOU KNOW?

* No team have won 1-0 as many times as Manchester City this season who have secured the result six times.

* Having kept teams out 16 times this season, Joe Hart has picked up the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season.

* Mancini’s men have scored fewer headers than any other team in the league this season, only managing to nod in twice.

* The Eastlands outfit have the worst disciplinary record in the Premier League, picking up 73 yellow cards and 5 reds since the season began.

* Stoke City have lost all eight of the games away to sides currently sat in the top half, the worst record in the league.

* If games finished after 45 minutes in the Premier League, Tony Pulis’ men would be sat in the relegation zone. The Staffordshire club have never picked up a point at Eastlands.

* The visitors possess the tallest squad in the division, averaging out at 6ft 1in.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Manchester City (4-2-3-1)
Hart; Richards, Kompany, Boyata, Kolarov; De Jong, Barry; A Johnson, Y Toure, Silva; Dzeko.

Roberto Mancini may look to rotate his side so as to allow a little more recovery time for some of his charges still jaded from their FA Cup triumph but with third place and therefore automatic qualification for the Champions League up for grabs, the Italian won't be taking this game lightly.

There are no new injury concerns for the Citizens, with Shay Given and Jerome Boateng the club's only long-term absentees and it'll therefore be a matter of who needs the rest in the eyes of the former Inter boss.

Stoke City (4-4-2)
Begovic; Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Wilson; Pennant, Whelan, Delap, Walters; Carew, Jones.

Matthew Etherington was substituted in the second half at Wembley looking a shadow of his usual self having overcome hamstring trouble and may well be rested to aid his recovery but there are no new injury worries for the travelling Potters.

Danny Higgingbotham, Ricardo Fuller and Mamady Sidibe are all out until the end of the season and will therefore not feature in Manchester.

Prediction

All of the players were out on their feet come the final whistle on Saturday, with the energy-sapping Wembley pitch having taken its toll and despite City’s less-than sober celebrations, Mancini still has the ability to switch around those who are still feeling weary with quality from deeper in the squad and I therefore can’t see past the FA Cup winners overtaking Arsenal with a comfortable win at Eastlands.

Man City 3-1 Stoke

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Championship Opta Facts - Play -Off Semi Final Second Leg

Swansea City v Nottingham Forest

Just one of the last 11 meetings between these two sides has seen the away side win.
The two meetings between Forest and Swansea in the regular Championship season saw nine goals scored in total, but the first playoff game ended 0-0.
On the last three occasions that Nottingham Forest have reached the playoffs in the Football League, they have failed to get to the final.
Swansea City won 24 games in the Championship this season; no side managed more victories.
Kris Boyd has scored six goals in his last nine appearances for Forest.
Only QPR (25) kept more clean sheets than Swansea City (22 - including playoffs) in the Championship this term.
Since 1989, the team finishing 3rd (7) have won the Championship playoffs more often than 4th, 5th or 6th (Swansea finished third).
Fabio Borini has already netted a brace at home to Forest this season.
Three of Nottingham Forest's last four away games have seen a side reduced to 10 men.
The Swans are unbeaten in eight league games at home, and have netted four goals in each of their last two at the Liberty Stadium.
Since 1989, 23 of the 44 playoff semi finals at this level have been won by the team playing away first, with 21 won by the side who played at home in the first semi final.
Scott Sinclair (seven) has scored more penalties than any other player in the Championship this term.

Cardiff City v Reading

The last four meetings between Reading and Cardiff have ended in a draw.
Reading haven't won any of their last eight matches against Cardiff City.
Only Watford (18.9%) managed a better conversion rate than Reading (17.3%) in the regular Championship this term.
Only three of the last 22 teams to have won the Championship playoffs have ended the season in fourth place (Cardiff finished fourth).
None of the last 12 editions of the Championship playoffs have been won by the side finishing the season in fourth place.
Royals' goalkeeper Adam Federici netted a 90th minute equaliser against Cardiff on Boxing Day 2008.
The regular season between these sides in Cardiff scored two goals scored in second half injury time, as Craig Bellamy (90+7) equalised Mathieu Manset's late goal (90+2).
Reading are unbeaten in eight away games in the Championship, and have kept three consecutive clean sheets on the road.
Cardiff City can boast the best shooting accuracy in the Championship this season, hitting the target with exactly half of their shots.
The Bluebirds have scored more goals in the opening 15 minutes (16) than any other Championship side this term.

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