The 4th Official
·23 October 2020
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·23 October 2020
Manchester City will clash heads with West Ham United at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon looking to get another victory on board in the Premier League. The Mancunian giants managed to secure a 3-1 home win over FC Porto in midweek which should give them some momentum to go and claim all three points versus the Hammers this weekend.
Pep Guardiola will set his side up in a 4-3-3 formation and might make a couple of changes to his first-team for this upcoming encounter at the English capital. Both Phil Foden and Nathan Ake could be set for a return to the first-team after they were both rested in midweek. However, both Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte are unlikely to recover in time for this league clash on the road.
Ederson will once again get the nod to start in between the sticks for Man City after he conceded one goal versus Porto in midweek. Nathan Ake could come into the team to resume his defensive partnership with Ruben Dias at the heart of Guardiola’s backline as they look to stop West Ham’s Michail Antonio from finding the back of the net on Saturday.
Kyle Walker has enjoyed a decent run of form in the Premier League recently, so he will be a nailed-on starter at right-back while Joao Cancelo features on the other side as the left-back. Guardiola will encourage both of them to get forward and cause a few problems for the Hammers wide players.
John Stones will be available for selection on the bench as he provides cover for the defensive positions.
Phil Foden, Rodri and Bernardo Silva could make up the Man City midfield as they focus on retaining possession well at the centre of the park so that they can engineer some decent goal-scoring chances in the attacking third of the pitch.
Ilkay Gundogan will have to settle for a spot on the bench despite scoring with a perfectly executed freekick in midweek.
Both Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez will be responsible for stretching the pitch out on the flanks while Sergio Aguero leads the line for the Mancunian outfit down the middle. Aguero got his name on the scoresheet versus Porto on Wednesday night which will boost his confidence for this weekend’s clash versus the Hammers.
Ferran Torres will wait for his chance to shine as an impact substitute in the second half if Guardiola decides to call upon his services.