The 18 (Including subs) that I think, Mancini will start with at Stoke (See below)
------------------ Hart-----------------------
------Komps (L) - Joles - Nasty-----
-Maicon--------------------------Zabba---
-----------------Garcia-----------------------
----------Nasri ------ Rodwell -----------
------(F)-------- Yaya ----------------------
-------------------Tevez-----------------------
Subs: Pants, Silva, A.K. 47, Dzeko, Ballo, Sinclair, Milner.
Can see this being the 11 that "Bobby" chooses to start against Stoke. It's vital we defend crosses properly and compete with them in the air.... a thing we were, sadly, unable to do against Liverpool, who caused us big problems, in that regard, (vis a vis skrtel heading in a corner while virtually unchallenged) at Anfield a couple of weeks, or so, ago.
I think Roberto will do so, so I've named Maicon in the starting line up, but there's no way, if I was picking the team that he would be given a full début away at Stoke - Particularly with the likes of Shawcross & Wilkinson, no doubt, ready and eager to 'crock him good & proper' at the earliest opportunity.
With the upcoming Madrid game in mind, I can see us, resting Silva too, - He's just not on his game at the moment, and I really can't see him influencing things that much, at the Britannia, especially if Stoke continue to employ their usual "Ale- House" tactics, and the ball is continuously in the air for the entire 90 minutes - and going with our 3 (physically) strongest available centre backs (Hence a début for Nastasic) to, hopefully, combat what, I'm sure, will be Tony Pulis's main strategy.
Result: Not usually a happy hunting ground for us, - head sez 1-1 draw, at best, but heart sez 2-1 to City.... Going with the heart as always - City 2 Stoke 1
For the record, this is the 18 man squad I would've gone with (see below)
------------------ Hart-----------------------
------Komps(L) - Joles - Nasty---
-Milner--------------------------Zabba--
-----------------Garcia----------------------
----------Nasri ------ Rodwell -----------
------(F)-------- Yaya ----------------------
-------------------Tevez-----------------------
Subs: Pants, Silva, A.K. 47, Dzeko, Maicon, Ballo, Sinclair .
