Roberto Mancini may drop Balotelli for Chelsea tie

After another petulant sending off against Dynamo Kiev last night, in which Manchester City crashed out of a cup that they had a realistic chance of winning, Mario Balotelli is set to be dropped for the Premier League clash against Chelsea on Sunday.

Talking after the game, in which City won 1-0 but lost the tie 2-1 on aggregate, Mancini said "I don't think he'll be in the squad. Mario thinks he could be a fantastic player. When he does something stupid like that, it's difficult for me".

Midfielder Nigel de Jong concurred with his manager. "He is a young boy of 20 and he has to learn from his mistakes," said the Dutch international. "I told him. Everyone told him. He is still part of the squad and has a lot of potential. He is a very good player but has to realise, on a professional level, you sometimes have to change your mentality".

Balotelli, 20, who suffers from a rare allergy to grass, was shown a straight red card for a high footed challenge on Goran Popov. Manchester City face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this Sunday and a loss would see them effectively out of the title race.

Manchester City tickets are available online

Watch Chelsea vs Manchester City live streaming free online

Popular Streams

Bolton v Aston Villa live streaming Swansea v Fulham live streaming Stoke v Tottenham live streaming Premier League Free Streaming