Mancini must decide on goalkeeper

Posted Saturday, May 01, 2010 by PA

Roberto Mancini must decide whether to place his trust in Marton Fulop or Gunnar Nielsen to keep goal for Manchester City in their top-four duel with Aston Villa.

With Shay Given out after suffering a dislocated shoulder at Arsenal last weekend, Mancini must pick between the Hungarian signed on emergency loan from Sunderland on Wednesday, or the Faroe Islands international.

Emmanuel Adebayor (thigh) and former Villa star Gareth Barry (hamstring) are doubtful for the sixth-placed Blues.

Kolo Toure has delivered a "don't worry, be happy" message to his Manchester City team-mates as they face their Champions League destiny.

Considering the prize which is at stake for a club whose only previous excursion into European football's elite competition lasted just one two-legged tie in 1968, it is little wonder there is a sense of apprehension amongst the City faithful.

But Toure claims there is no point being constrained by fear.

As a naturally laid-back character himself, the Blues skipper is calling for the same approach to bring the best out of themselves.

"You know how the best way to cope with pressure like this? Just relax and enjoy the moment," Toure told his club's official website.

"Football is such a wonderful job that you need to enjoy every minute and if there is pressure on you, just go out with a smile and be happy because I believe that will allow you to play your normal game and deliver the goods.

"It is not every season that you have the opportunity to challenge for Champions League football.

"We are in a fantastic position and it's up to us how we deal with it. Ultimately, it comes down to how much we really want to finish fourth."

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is keeping his cards close to his chest about his team.

O'Neill conceded Villa have "a couple of problems" ahead of the meeting with Mancini's side but did not go into any specific details.

Central defender Richard Dunne played in the derby win over Birmingham with his head bandaged after an injury suffered against Hull, and will be keen to battle on against the club he left to join Villa for #6million in the summer after nine years' service.

O'Neill said: "There are just a couple of problems. We still have another training session to negotiate but overall we are not too bad."

O'Neill admits former skipper Gareth Barry "earned the right to decide his future" ahead of the clash at Eastlands.

Barry clocked up more than 400 games in 12 years at Villa before deciding to move to Eastlands last summer after his dreams of joining Liverpool were shattered 12 months earlier.

Now the England midfielder, providing he recovers from a hamstring injury, will do battle with his former colleagues as the race for a Champions League spot gathers momentum.

O'Neill said: "I have the utmost regard for Gareth. He put in a lot of years here. If anyone had earned the right to try and look after his future in the last couple of years, it was Gareth.

"I would also say it was great for him playing here the last couple of years. We'd like to think we helped him along the way in the last couple of years.

"He got to play in his favourite midfield role all the time and he was able to forge on and end up playing for England on a regular basis.

"From that viewpoint, it worked out for all of us. He has chosen to go to Manchester City and good luck to him.

"We got #12million for a player with one year left of his contract and had to accept, the minute he walked out of the door, that we had to do something about it and to try and use the money to get someone else in.

"So far the team has responded."