IT will be a case of friends reunited for Steve McManaman tomorrow afternoon when he offers his usual 'hola' to great mate Ivan Campo.

The Manchester City midfielder and the man they call 'hair' in Spain became firm buddies while at Real Madrid and it was the Blues England ace who helped persuade Campo to make the unlikely switch from the Bernabeu to Bolton.

"We talk all the time, Ivan is a very good friend of mind," said McManaman. "When he left for Bolton he didn't know much about the English game and I had to tell him a great deal. He has done really well and I know he is enjoying his football.

"Sam Allardyce deserves a great amount of credit for what he has done at the Reebok for firstly keeping Bolton in the Premiership and also, I believe, playing very good football. He has attracted some fine players to the club.

"I told Ivan that English football would be different to Spain. You don't have as much time as you do over there. Here it is all about working hard for 90 minutes and it is very intense.

"He also asked me about where Bolton was situated and the best places to live. At that point he was only on loan but he has since made it permanent and I am very happy for him.

"For Ivan it was change for the better because he wasn't involved much at Madrid. I still speak to him all the time and I did so before the break last week. As soon as I find myself somewhere to live in Manchester I will be going out with him a lot."

The socialising though will have to wait until business is taken care of at Eastlands tomorrow when the Blues are desperate to post a second home league win of the season and keep tabs on the leading sides. "The performance at Wolves was not good and extremely disappointing so we need to get back to the way we played against Tottenham and add the goals," said Macca.

"The last two games we have given up the chance to cement ourselves in fourth place and it is vital to keep ourselves in the upper echelons of the Premier League.

"The top three have scooted away a little bit and fragmentation is what you will find in certain parts of the table. We must make sure we keep pace with those sides looking at the top six. If you lose points on the top sides then it is hard to regain them but if you keep consistently picking up wins the odd loss here and there doesn't hurt you so badly."

Boss Kevin Keegan will be hoping that there is no Euro bounce with effectively only one day's rest between the efficient win at Lokeren and the derby with Wanderers.

Replacements

Keegan must decide whether to stick with Paulo Wanchope up front for the second time in a short period. Until now the City chief has been reluctant to overplay the Costa Rican who missed a whole year with a knee problem.

After being amongst the replacements in Belgium, Eyal Berkovic will be hoping for a place on the bench for the first time in four matches.

Midfielder Trevor Sinclair is doubtful for the game after suffering a dead leg in the UEFA Cup defeat of Lokeren in midweek.

Claudio Reyna could be recalled, although Joey Barton, Antoine Sibierski and Eyal Berkovic are also pushing for places in the starting line-up.

Last season: Manchester City 2 Bolton Wanderers 0

Key Opponent: Jay-Jay Okocha - the mercurial midfielder could hold the key to Bolton's creativity if Djorkaeff fails to overcome his fitness battle

Prediction: Man City 2 Bolton 0

BETFRED:

Win-Draw-Win:
Man C 8/11 Draw 12/5 Bolton 10/3

Correct Score
Man City To Win
1-0 11/2
2-0 15/2
2-1 8/1
3-0 14/1
3-1 12/1
3-2 22/1
4-0 33/1
4-1 28/1

1st/Last Goalscorer In Match
Nicolas Anelka 4/1
Robbie Fowler 5/1
Paolo Wanchope 5/1
Jonathan Macken 7/1
Antoine Sibierski 15/2
Trevor Sinclair 11/1
Steve McManaman 14/1
Eyal Berkovic 14/1
Michael Tarnat 16/1
Shaun Wright-Phillips 16/1
Joey Barton 20/1

Scorecast
Anelka & Man City 2-0 33/1
Fowler & Man City 3-1 55/1
Sinclair & Man City 3-0 100/1

Others odds available on request. Prices subject to fluctuation. Ring BETFRED on 0800 73 11 210.

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