vs 
Blackburn - Manchester
City
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Big spending Manchester City boss Mark Hughes
will be without £17million striker Roque Santa Cruz as his side
travel to Blackburn for their Premier League opener.
The Paraguay international is recovering from a knee operation
and is expected to be out until September as City's big money
signings struggle for fitness ahead of Saturday's game.
Hughes has spent almost £100million on big-name signings during
the summer and his team will be under intense pressure to deliver
when they travel to his former club.
Of the major new signings, Kolo Toure, Gareth Barry and Carlos
Tevez could all make their debuts at Ewood Park.
Emmanuel Adebayor, a £25million signing from Arsenal, faces a
race against time to make his debut after returning from
international duty for Togo with a slight groin injury.
Fellow £25million man Carlos Tevez is in contention to make his
debut after overcoming a minor heel problem while Craig Bellamy has
overcome the knee injury which kept him out of the Wales squad in
midweek.
Meanwhile, Belgian international Vincent Kompany is still
sidelined with a toe injury while midfielder Michael Johnson will
need another two weeks to recover from an abdomen injury.
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce's main concern heading into the
match is the availability of captain Ryan Nelson who is struggling
with a knee injury sustained in the 2-0 defeat to Dundee United
last Saturday.
Australian midfielder Vince Grella and defender Chris Samba are
both fit and are expected to start as Rovers look to dent City's
title credentials early on.
New signing Nikola Kalinic is still waiting for a work permit
therefore South African striker Benni McCarthy looks likely to
start in attack.
Blackburn: Robinson, Jacobsen, Warnock, Nelsen,
Samba, Pedersen, Emerton, Andrews, Grella, Diouf, McCarthy
Man City: Given, Richards, Dunne, Toure,
Bridge; Wright-Phillips, Barry, Ireland, Bellamy; Robinho,
Tevez
