Manchester City v Bolton Wanderers,
Barclays Premier League,
Tuesday 9 February, 2010,
City of Manchester Stadium, 7.45pm Kick-Off.

After the scoreless draw with Fulham at the weekend, Wanderers are back in action once again on Tuesday evening as they make the short journey to tackle Manchester City.

Aside from Joey O'Brien and Sean Davis, Wanderers will definitely be without a further four first team players for the trip to Eastlands. As revealed on Monday, Gary Cahill faces a prolonged spell on the sidelines, while Gavin McCann will miss at least two months with his ankle injury. Vladimir Weiss can't play against his parent club and Ivan Klasnic is still out with a calf problem.

Jack Wilshere should make his debut and Owen Coyle is optimistic that Gretar Steinsson (illness) and Andy O'Brien (calf) will be fit to take their place in defence. Danny Shittu, who has returned from international duty with Nigeria at the African Cup of Nations, and Stuart Holden could come into the matchday squad.

Patrick Vieira is expected to start for Manchester City, while Adam Johnson is pressing for his first start since completing a £7m move from Middlesbrough on transfer deadline day. Craig Bellamy looks set to miss out with a longstanding knee problem, but there is brighter news for Joleon Lescott and Roque Santa Cruz, who could feature following their respective knee and calf complaints.

The Blues are looking to get back on track in the pursuit of a top-four spot following their 2-1 defeat against Hull City at the KC Stadium at the weekend, but manager Roberto Mancini has predicted a tough test on Tuesday evening.

Speaking to Manchester City's official website, the Italian said: "Every team we play raises themselves against us, and we have to react to that. We are seen as one of the big teams and a big scalp. But that's good for us, and we can make that work for us. If we want to get to the top, we have to work just as hard against teams like Bolton, or Hull, as against the teams around us.

"Bolton will be fighting for every ball tonight, so we need to have the right approach. If we do that then we have every chance of getting the win that we need.

"They were 2-0 up against Arsenal not long ago, they were aggressive and played well. We have to remember what they can do and cope with how they try to play against us."

Bolton are looking for their first victory in three years at Eastlands since the 2-0 success in the 2006/07 season when Nicolas Anelka grabbed two goals against his former club.

The history of the Bolton Wanderers - Manchester City fixture dates back to 1898 when the two clubs met in the FA Cup second round. The Whites ran out 1-0 winners on that afternoon and have since recorded 44 more wins against the Citizens.

The referee for the game is Mike Jones from Chester. He has taken control of two previous Wanderers match this season - the 1-0 defeat at Hull City and 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

For those who aren't travelling to the Reebok Stadium, live uninterrupted commentary is available on Wanderers Player. The broadcast starts at 7.15pm with official club commentator Phil Gittins talking listeners through the action from kick-off.