City boss Roberto Mancini is set to drop star striker Mario Balotelli ahead of Sunday's crucial tussle with Chelsea.
The hot-blooded striker has had discipline problems since he arrived at the Eastlands club and these came to a head in the week when he was sent off during the Europa League tie against Ukrainians Dynamo Kiev.
City won the match 1-0 but lost the tie 2-1.
Although Balotelli later apologised to his team-mates, Mancini is said to be at the end of his tether with the highly-strung star and has decided to drop him.
Mancini said: "Yayce, ees like-a an old, ah, tradition, back home in Italia - eet ees a way of, uh, teaching the deesceepleene. De Romans and-a the ceetee states - they all are dropping wayward sons.
"The rest of the team and me, we willa take 'eem to the top of the Eastlands Stadium and drop 'eem. 'eef 'ee ees not breaking 'ees leg or anything, 'ee can play.
"I remember Il Capitano Paolo Maldini was dropped from the top of the San Siro when he was, uh, oud of order as a young man - but 'ee learned and looka what happened to 'eem.
"No - I was always the gooda boy. I was never dropped."
