Manchester City will be looking to continue the perfect start to their Premier League title defence when they host Stoke City on Saturday.
Manuel Pellegrini's side are two wins from two this term and laid down a marker for consecutive championships by impressively beating last season's runners-up Liverpool earlier this week.
Stevan Jovetic exploited the frailties of a new-look Reds defence to score twice in a 3-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
The £22m signing from Fiorentina netted only three times during his debut season with the club, but is one of several foreign recruits of last summer who are now making their mark after taking 12 months to acclimatise.
His resurgence adds an extra dimension to an attack which scored a division-high 102 goals last term and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Stoke have not been as quick out of the blocks, despite making some exciting additions to a squad which secured the club's highest ever Premier League points total and finishing position in 2013-14.
The Potters lost 1-0 at home to Aston Villa on the opening day and could only draw 1-1 with Hull City last weekend at the KC Stadium, where they played with a man advantage for 76 minutes.
A 3-0 Capital One Cup cruise over Portsmouth on Wednesday will improve the mood at the Britannia Stadium, but Mark Hughes is still expected to restore many of his first-team regulars for the trip to his former club.
Ryan Shawcross and Peter Odemwingie may be the only two players retained, with Mame Biram Diouf, Marko Arnautovic and Asmir Begovic among those in line for recalls.
Robert Huth, who missed most of last season with knee ligament damage, played 90 minutes against Pompey but is not yet ready for a top-flight return, while loan recruit Victor Moses is also still short of match fitness.
Former Barcelona star Bojan may again have to settle for a place on the bench, with Hughes likely to sacrifice the flair of the Spaniard for an industrious central-midfield three.
Sergio Aguero should make his first start of the season for City up front and may replace Edin Dzeko as Jovetic's partner, with the Bosnian having limped off at Eastlands on Monday.
Without the threat of Raheem Sterling to consider, Pellegrini may opt for the more attacking option of Aleksander Kolarov at left-back, but Pablo Zabaleta will keep Bacary Sagna waiting on the other side of defence.
City, who are still without Alvaro Negredo, have won six and drawn four of their last 10 matches against Stoke.
Recent form
Man City: WW
Stoke: WDL
Possible starting lineups
Man City: Hart; Zabaleta; Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov; Silva, Toure, Fernando, Nasri; Jovetic, Aguero
Stoke: Begovic; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters; N'Zonzi, Whelan, Sidwell; Arnautovic, Odemwingie, Diouf
Sports Mole says: 3-0
Joe Fish
