MANCHESTER City pair Craig Bellamy and Stephen Ireland are both available to face Bolton at the Reebok Stadium after sitting out the victory against Chelsea.
Bellamy had a knee injury - like Ireland - then suffered a bout of swine flu. Vladimir Weiss also had the illness but he too has made a swift recovery.
Micah Richards also comes into contention after limping out of the Chelsea game with a knee problem but Wayne Bridge is sidelined with a similar injury.
Ahead of the game boss Mark Hughes confirmed that midfielder Michael Johnson will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury.
The 21-year-old is scheduled to have an operation a week on Monday after damaging his cruciate ligament in training.
It is another setback for Johnson who only recently returned to the side after almost a year out with an abdominal problem.
Now he faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines as Hughes said: “His season is over. It’s really disappointing news for him and for the club.”
Johnson, who was on the bench on Saturday when City beat Chelsea, was due to play some part against Bolton but Hughes revealed that he suffered the setback on Tuesday.
“It was an innocuous situation, his foot just got caught in the turf,” said the City boss.
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“These things happen but there is significant damage. Michael had worked hard to get back to a level where I was considering him for games.
“He was very much in my thoughts with Christmas coming up.
“It is going to be a difficult time for him but he has shown in the past real strength of character.
“That will sustain him and he will have an operation on the 21st on his cruciate ligament.”
Meanwhile, Kevin Davies will return to the Bolton squad having served a one-match ban.
Davies, the club captain, was suspended for last weekend’s defeat at Wolves after picking up his fifth booking of the campaign in the previous game against Fulham.
Gavin McCann and Johan Elmander picked up minor knocks in the match at Molineux but should be fit for selection.
Otherwise, aside from long-term absentees Sean Davis and Joey O’Brien, Gary Megson has a full squad to choose from.
Bolton Wanderers (from): Jaaskelainen, Al-Habsi, Ricketts, Steinsson, Knight, Cahill, A O’Brien, Samuel, Robinson, M Davies, Basham, Muamba, Cohen, McCann, Gardner, Taylor, Klasnic, Lee, Elmander, Davies.
Manchester City (from): Given, Taylor, Richards, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Onuoha, Garrido, Sylvinho, Wright-Phillips, De Jong, Kompany, Ireland, Barry, Robinho, Bellamy, Petrov, Adebayor, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Benjani, Weiss.
Bolton league form: LLLDL
City league form: DDDDW
Key opponent: Kevin Davies - a nightmare for defenders
Prediction: Bolton 1 City 2 - City will be looking to kick on from the win over Chelsea
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Bolton v City: Preview
December 11, 2009
Comments
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Givs
Richards Toure Lescott Barry/Sylhonho
SWP De Jong Barry/Ireland Bellamy
Tevez Adebayor
I get the feeling that City will apply the pressure on this one and the score line will be more like 3-0 or 4-0. Bolton may slip one in but probably no more than that.
team to play bolton
GK Given
RB Richards CB Toure CB Lescott LB Barry
RM SWP CM De Jong CM Ireland LM Bellemy
CF Tevez CF Adebayor
subs Taylor, Onouha, Kompany, Weiss, Petrov, Robinho, Santa Cruz
City to win 3-1
If we set about Bolton with anything like the same level of commitment and guile we displayed against Chelsea, a comfortable win is on the cards.
Big big pity about Michael Johnson. Lady fortune does not seem to be smiling upon him whatsoever.
With the obvious exception of Bridge, should be the same team that beat Chelsea
This could be the first time in PL history that an away team has scored more than 100 goals. I'm going for 1-102 with a Dunne own-goal for Bolton. Oh, hold on, this could be a lot more serious for Bolton than I thought...
Robinho needs to be in the lineup - he is hungry for goals - and having him and Adebayor on the pitch together - with Tevez - gives you two strikers with incredible foot-working ability and a work horse that will chase everything down. City will win it with a scoreline of 2-4
Now this really is a game that we must get three points from to keep the pressure on the spuds and villa, plus give substance to the belief we are a team good enough to challenge at the top of the prem. No slip ups please boys! CTID
Bolton will be hammered and Megson will get the boot its as simple as that.
Just win. I don't care how many we score, whether it is a great team performance blah blah. Just win!
dunne own goal? did he come back?
There is no excuse for anything other than three points in this match. Bolton haven't kept a clean sheet in the league since consecutive nil nil draws against Wigan and Sunderland last season. City have got to approach this in the right manner and get amongst them like they did with Chelsea, It won't be pretty and we must be aware of the long ball that Bolton play but our job is to impose our style on them and we should be able to do that. Three points are essential to build on the excellent week we have just had. Especially as we have an excellent opportunity of climbing in to fourth or fifth.
Great news for me, Show Sports got game on over here. Happy days indeed.
City to win 2 or 3 - 1. Davies always a handfull hence the consolation goal for them.
Only 21 hours to go.........
Given
Zaba,Toure,Lescott ,Barry
SWP,Kompany,Ireland,Robinho
Tevez, Adebayor
bolton have never been a team we have brushed aside in recent years so i am going to predict a city 2-1 win.
CTID
Must say, I really like this "positive arguing" motif going through the dressing room and long may it continue if it means results on the pitch.
You know what, I'm no Happy Clapper, definitely not, but I... maybe I... you know... just maybe... there is something to this Mark Hughes fellow, after all. Maybe he really is THE MAN.
I think I'm gonna give him till the end of the season before making my mind up! Things are starting to happen now, and if we can get on a winning run, starting tomorrow, you never know.
You just never know.
its going to be a tie again PS can they give city 3 points for a tie ?
Bolton are the only team in the prem, not to have kept a clean sheet this season, so we know what that means, but this is the NEW city, and sooner or later were going to turn some team over big style, lets hope its bolton who cop for it. come on you blues. 4-0 robbie first goal. !
This is the game that City puts the hammer down. City to win 5-0!
We will see The Robinho stepover tomorrow and witness 2-3 goals from the World Class Robinho. 5 for City. Christmas has come early.
I'd settle for a 1-0 against battling Bolton. These have been the hardest games for City to win recently but with the new attitude gained from the Hull game we should be ok.
Given Zaba,Toure,Lescott ,Barry, SWP,Kompany,Ireland,Robinho Tevez, Adebayor
garden angel, the hague. 11/12/2009 at 17:53
"What No Nigel De Jong? Behave man. Get Vincent kompany in at centre half, drop Lescott out left, Nigel just in front of the MF like last week. Sorry mate no room for Superman, he aint upto it just yet. If it aint broke, don't fix it!!!
After such a mesmerising showing against Chelsea I think Hughesy will leave well alone as best he can as the last eleven deserve to keep the shirt. Personally I`d like to see Barry drop into left back, and Superman play through the middle with NDJ.
Really looking forward to seeing the momentum start to move through the gears now, and I still believe we can win the league. Sure the odds may say otherwise, but we`ve shown enough without fully hitting stride to feel honestly positive. Time to put the pedal down and see the year out with no more defeats.
As always, any Blues who may be in the New York area are more than welcome to join us in MCFC's home in the US, The Mad Hatter Saloon on 3rd Ave and 26th St. for a 10 am kickoff. Also coming soon on the Mad Hatter website, Blue Moon over the Saloon.
Emjay See supporting City
Have to agree with you. win essential, manner of victory irrelevant