Barton to get City recall
Joey Barton is set to earn an immediate recall as Manchester City look to bounce back from their Boxing Day defeat at Everton by inflicting more misery on rock-bottom West Brom at Eastlands.
Barton was left on the bench at Goodison Park, with manager Kevin Keegan believing the turmoil created by the midfielder’s ill-advised cigar attack on team-mate Jamie Tandy had taken its toll.
But with Keegan’s ‘Christmas tree’ experiment failing to work, Barton should return in a more conventional 4-4-2 formation, probably at the expense of Jon Macken.
Christian Negouai is suspended following his dismissal for a wild tackle on Marcus Bent, but Danny Mills is available despite reaching five yellow cards for the season and will instead sit out next Tuesday’s trip to Arsenal. Full-back Ben Thatcher could be back following ankle surgery.
Provisional squad: James, Waterreus, Onuoha, Mills, Distin, Sommeil, Dunne, Bosvelt, Flood, S Wright-Phillips, Barton, Sibierski, Fowler, Jordan, Macken, Anelka, B Wright-Phillips.
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