by Ryan D. Jaeger
Manchester City's Argentine forward, Carlos Tevez has been noticeably
absent following a compassionate leave of absence, and his team was forced to
deal with a defeat on Wednesday against Stoke City, causing them to crash out of
the FA Cup 3-1.
But the good news is that Tevez is due back home after flying out to
Argentina to spend time with his wife and prematurely born baby daughter.
"It has not been an enjoyable trip home, but Carilitos had to stay because of
problems, not because he did not want to play," said the footballer's advisor.
"It proves the sort of man he is. Family first."
Roberto Mancini has confirmed that Tevez will be available for Saturday's
match against Chelsea at the Bridge, and bookies have so much confidence in his
playing form that they are offering odds of 8/1 that he will open the scoring.
Bet365, for example, is offering odds of 5/2 that Tevez's name will appear on
the score sheet of the game at any stage.
The question remains in what form the former Manchester United striker is
returning to the United Kingdom. Along with the fact that he hasn't done much
training while back home, he may be emotionally distracted as he ponders the
condition of his still-hospitalized daughter.
A few facts to consider before placing bets on Saturday's match are these:
- Manchester City has not scored once in its last seven visits to Stamford
Bridge.
- The team has also failed to score in 8/10 matches against Chelsea.
- If Manchester City fails to score on Saturday, it will make it the
longest run of games in Premier League history that one team has not managed
to score away against another team.
Paddy Power is offering odds on the outright winners of the match as
follows:
Chelsea 4/9
Draw 16/5
Manchester City 13/2
