City ran out 2-1 winners against Burnley in their last outing, although Pep Guardiola’s side did not have everything their own way in front of their own supporters at the Etihad Stadium. A 1-0 defeat by Liverpool two days previously put a severe dent in City’s title chances, but Guardiola will still be hopeful that his charges can turn things around in the second half of the top-flight campaign. Attention now turns to the FA Cup, a competition that the club have won on five occasions in the past but only once since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2008; they will be looking to improve that record this year, but a clash with a fellow Premier League outfit represents a difficult start.
West Ham were defeated by City’s local rivals Manchester United on Monday, strikes from Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic ensuring Jose Mourinho’s men collected maximum points from their trip to the capital. It was a second successive loss for Slaven Bilic’s charges, who were also beaten by Leicester City on Saturday, but the margin separating them from the bottom three remains at a healthy seven points following victories over Burnley, Hull City and Swansea City last month. Given that they are in a strong position to avoid relegation, a cup run may be targeted by the club this year.
City will have to make do without the suspended Fernandinho and injured players Vincent Kompany, Ilkay Gundogan and Fabian Delph, but Leroy Sane could feature after a spell on the sidelines with a muscle injury. Although the FA Cup will be third on Guardiola’s list of priorities – the Premier League and Champions League are clearly more important competitions for his side – the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is likely to name a strong side on Friday. Sergio Aguero is expected to return to the starting XI in place of Kelechi Iheanacho, while Raheem Sterling, Yaya Toure and Kevin De Bruyne are all expected to be involved.
West Ham, meanwhile, will be unable to call upon the services of Diafra Sakho, James Collins, Aaron Masuaku, Gokhan Tore, Alvaro Arbeloa, Reece Oxford and Cheikhou Kouyate, although Sofiane Feghouli will be available for selection after the FA overturned a three-match ban that was incurred by the red card he received against United on Monday. Andy Carroll should start up front in place of Michail Antonio, who may be fielded in a different role, while Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet will be important figures when it comes to supplying the ammunition for the Hammers’ lone striker.
Taking everything into account, it is probably worth putting your money behind a Manchester City victory in this one. A 2-1 away win could be the way to go in the correct scoreline market, with De Bruyne an astute choice to find the back of the net anytime.
.png)
