Manchester City eye top spot in England

London, March 23: Manchester City will look to return to the top of the Premier League and pile the pressure on title rivals Manchester United when they travel to Stoke on Saturday.

Victory at the Britannia Stadium would put City two points in front of current leaders and reigning champions United, who are not in action again until they host Fulham at Old Trafford on Monday. However, for many fans attention will turn to the Reebok Stadium. Normally, a match between the relegation threatened Lancashire duo of Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers would only be of local interest. But this will be Bolton’s first match since Fabrice Muamba collapsed with a cardiac arrest during last week’s subsequently abandoned FA Cup quarterfinal at Tottenham. Bolton postponed Tuesday’s sched- uled league match against Aston Villa but, with medical bulletins on 23-yearold midfielder Muamba increasingly encouraging, they have decided to go ahead with Saturday’s fixture.

Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Chelsea at Eastlands on Wednesday witnessed the return of controversial striker Carlos Tevez after three months of self-imposed exile in his native Argentina following a falling-out with manager Roberto Mancini.

There are many — including former City favourite Rodney Marsh — who fear Tevez’s return for the final nine league games of the season could destabilise the club’s bid for a first English title since 1968. But, with Tevez coming off the bench to lay on the winner for Samir Nasri against Chelsea, it appears the forward is well and truly back in the fold. — AFP