The Dugout Discussion – Wednesday

The final two fixtures of the penultimate Gameweek of the 2013/14 season take place this evening. Both matches are of vital importance at either end of the table – a win for City at home to Villa would put them firmly in the driving seat to clinch the title, whilst Sunderland play host to West Brom knowing that a draw would be enough to secure both sides’ safety and relegate Norwich to the Championship, barring a mathematical miracle next weekend:

With Sergio Aguero sidelined due to a groin injury, Edin Dzeko will be hoping to continue the form that has produced three goals in his last couple of appearances, whilst Yaya Toure, David Silva and Samir Nasri could be poised to wreak havoc from midfield as Manuel Pellegrini’s men look to avenge their Gameweek 6 loss at Villa Park.

Gus Poyet will look for Connor Wickham to continue the extraordinary that has harvested five goals and a pair of assists in his last four fixtures. A fourth straight win for the Wearsiders would take them above tonight’s opponents and ensure their safety for another season, though looking at the situation near the basement, it’s clear that a draw would suit both sides. Sunderland sit on 35 points with a goal difference of -19 and West Brom are on 36 points, with goal difference of -13 – given that Norwich sit on 33 and -32 respectively, only back-to-back losses for Poyet’s side, allied with a Canaries win over Arsenal on Sunday, will feasibly save the Norfolk outfit.

Our Twitter feed carries all the news from tonight’s team sheets, while the Dugout Discussion chatroom remains open to collect your real-time reactions to this evening’s events.