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Manchester City squandered a golden chance to take control of the race for fourth place in the Premier League on the weekend, as they crashed away to a bustling Hull City side. Second from bottom Hull had earned themselves some plaudits, holding league leaders Chelsea to a draw during midweek, and their hopes of surviving in the Premier League were given a great boost by turning over Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City. That was Hull’s first victory in the league for 11 games, and those vital three points saw them shoot up the table to 14th, three points out of the drop zone. Four points from their last two games will have renewed hopes that they will be a Premier League outfit next season.

For Manchester City, there will be questions asked about this latest upset. It came just over a week after they were dumped out of the Carling Cup semi final by Manchester United, and Saturday’s three points will enact further calls from Mancini for his players to dig a little deeper. Still, Manchester City are not that badly positioned, just three points out of fourth place, with two games in hand still over Liverpool who occupy that precious spot. While City have found a new leash of life under Italian boss Mancini, they cannot start getting complacent that they will have their best finish for years. There is a lot of work to be done until the end of the season, and with Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa all in the hunt for the Champions League spot, nothing can be taken for granted.

Although Mancini has reported players being a bit tired, City do have a busy period. With a full list of midweek games this week, back to back games against Stoke will follow. Man City plays hosts to Stoke in the FA next Saturday, before visiting their opponents just three days later. The City fans have been injected with a lot of hope after a summer of big spending, and while the FA Cup remains a very viable proposition for them, with three of the big four having fallen by the wayside, City’s main focus should remain on fourth place. That would really earmark a new era of progress for the blue side of Manchester, who have long lived in the shadows of their Old Trafford neighbours.

The will get the chance against another of the league’s strugglers, as they take on Bolton on Tuesday. Bolton boss Owen Coyle has his work cut out to save his new team from relegation, as they are just one point out of the zone. After successfully beating his old club Burnley, Bolton have only picked up one point out of their last two games. Things are so tight down the bottom that every point is vital, and Bolton may look to Hull for inspiration. Their good work against top opposition, can be repeated, and they need it to be, if they are going to secure their Premier League future.

BETTING STATS (League Only)

Last 5 Head to Head
Bolton 3, Man City 3
Man City 1, Bolton 0
Bolton 2, Man City 0
Bolton 0, Man City 0
Man City 4, Bolton 2

Last 5 Match Goals
Man City: 10 For, 5 Against
Bolton: 3 For, 8 Against

Last 10 Form
Man City: W6, D1, L3
Bolton: W2, D4, L4

Win Percentage
Man City have a 72.7 win percentage at home
Bolton have a 20.0 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Manchester City to win: 5/11 at Coral
Draw: 10/3 at SkyBet
Bolton to win: 8/1 at Victor Chandler

Betting Advice: City should win this, as Bolton are struggling for goals and points. There is a lot of work to be done at the back, but they also need to find ways to find the back of the net. It will be tough against a City side, who, as a whole have looked pretty solid for most of the season. A good Asian Handicap in favour of Bolton, could work here.
Bolton +1.75 Asian Handicap: 10/11 at Victor Chandler