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Joe Cole's sending off in the opening weekend draw with Arsenal means he is now unavailable for Monday's clash with Premier League moneybags Manchester City, with Liverpool priced at 23/10 win the clash with Betfred.
Hodgson's predecessor Rafa Benitez was criticised all the time for tinkering so it was interesting to see how many changes the new man made in the Europa League qualifier with Trabzonspor.
The boss gave a second half run-out to Fernando Torres, who the football odds make 11/2 to score the first goal on Monday, and he looked much fresher than he did during the World Cup, so the Spaniard could be in line for a start at Eastlands.
Daniel Agger and Javier Mascherano are struggling with injuries and if the duo recover then they could face new signings James Milner and Mario Balotelli, who will both be making their Premier League debuts.
It is the first home game for City this season, and given their multi-million pound spending spree during the summer they will want to put on a good show for their fans.
They were disappointing against Spurs in their opening game and know they need a good start to the season if they want to win the Premier League title this season – something which they are 9/1 to do with Betfred compared to Liverpool who are priced at 14/1.
There is no doubting the overall strength of the City squad, something that Hodgson would love to have at Anfield, so the clash at Eastlands looks like it could be a sign of how both sides are likely to do over the coming season.
My Tip for Monday Night:
It's early days and neither team has settled into the season yet. Therefore I expect both teams to cancel each other out at Eastlands, and the game to end in a 1-1 draw, which at 11/2 looks a reasonable bet.
Manchester City v Liverpool - Monday 23rd August, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports.
By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)
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