Last season’s champions Manchester City will welcome West Ham United to the Etihad stadium in Manchester on Saturday in the Barclays Premier League Gameweek 35.
With a second place finish almost guaranteed for the home team, the Citizens would look to maintain their home unbeaten record in the League this season. They have not been beaten at the Etihad in their last seven home matches and have not conceded a single goal there in the last five matches in all competitions.
Manchester City’s hopes of a win are strengthened by the return of Sergio Aguero as they look to bounce back after their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur last week. They have now won four of their last six matches, with the only two losses coming against Everton and Tottenham.
West Ham, on the other hand, have not lost a single match since the 2-0 defeat against Chelsea in mid-March, and since then have drawn three matches and won two. Hammers manager Sam Allardyce will be feeling confident while going to the Etihad fresh from a 2-0 win at Wigan last weekend, and before that a 2-2 draw against newly crowned champions Manchester United.
The men to watch for the home team are the Argentine duo of Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero who should both start keeping in view their good form recently. James Milner is also back in contention for a starting place after a hamstring problem forced him off the pitch at half time last weekend.
Whereas ever-reliable Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble, who is finally fit to start a match since recovering from a shoulder injury, would be the main men for the Hammers.
Expected Squads:
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasić, Clichy, Touré, Barry, Silva, Nasri, Tévez, Agüero
West Ham United: Jääskeläinen, Demel, Reid, Collins, O’Brien, O’Neil, Diamé, Noble, Jarvis, Nolan, Carroll