City hopes to continue surge to seventh

Soccer Betting Lines

05/01/2009 - Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City will be aiming to put together its first three-game win streak of the season when they host Blackburn at Eastlands on Saturday.

A win over Rovers would not only accomplish that feat, but also continue City's push to grab a spot in Europe next season, something that didn't look realistic a few months ago.

The club has battled inconsistency all season, but they seem poised to put together a strong push over the final stretch of the campaign, something that manager Mark Hughes believes has been made possible by the team's elimination from the UEFA Cup at the hands of Hamburg.

"The chase for seventh place now has our whole, undivided attention after Hamburg," the manager said.

"We are having clear weeks leading into Premier League games so the only focus is that match, which wasn't always the case this season. We've played 16 games in Europe, so some working weeks were quite fragmented.

"At times that had an impact on our performances at Premier League level. With the continuity we now have in training, and being able to prepare for every game as we would like, we anticipate having a good finish."

The Citizens will need to finish strong if they are to climb to seventh place, which would carry the final Europa League spot.

The club currently sits in ninth place and they trail seventh-placed Fulham by three points, while West Ham is one point up on City.

The team's 2-1 win at Everton last time out has to be a source of confidence since it was just the second win in 17 away matches for the club, but they are now returning home, where they have flourished with seven wins in their last eight games.

Blackburn enters the match on the heels of a massive 2-0 win over Wigan, which helped to ease the club's relegation worries.

The win moved Rovers into 15th place, six points above the drop, and although there are only four games left, midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen believes his team's task is not done yet.

"We feel very good. There have been lots of smiles around the training ground this week, but we have to get our minds settled for the next game and it is not going to be easy against City," Pedersen said.

"The season isn't over yet. We have to focus on what is a big game and if we get three points we'll do ourselves a massive favor with just three games remaining."

Leaders Manchester United will have a chance to stretch their advantage to six points on Saturday with a win at Middlesbrough, while second-placed Liverpool hosts a desperate Newcastle side on Sunday.

Third-placed Chelsea hosts Fulham but they might be more concerned with their Champions League semifinal second leg against Barcelona on Wednesday, while Arsenal will also have an eye towards the Champions League as they host Manchester United on Tuesday after traveling to Portsmouth on Saturday.

West Ham continues its quest for a spot in Europe when they visit Stoke City, last-placed West Bromwich goes for a second consecutive win when they hit the road to meet Tottenham, Wigan entertains Bolton, Everton invades Sunderland and Aston Villa hosts relegation-battling Hull City on Monday.

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