Pep Guardiola has made seven modifications from the Metropolis facet that began in opposition to Brentford in midweek.
Reverting to the beginning XI that beat Crystal Palace final week, the boss recollects Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ruben Dias, Matheus Nunes, Josko Gvardiol, Bernardo, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland.
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Oscar Bobb misses out with damage, however James Trafford, Nathan Ake, Savinho, Abdukodir Khusanov, Divin Mukasa and Rico Lewis all transfer to the bench.
Line-ups
CITY: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Nico, Bernardo (C), Reijnders, Foden, Cherki, Haaland
SUBS: Trafford, Ake, Savinho, Khusanov, Grey, Mukasa, Lewis, Mfuni, Heskey
WEST HAM UNITED: Areola, Walker-Peters, Todibo, Kilman, Scarles, Magassa, Potts, Fernandes, Summerville, Paqueta, Bowen (C)
SUBS: Hermansen, Igor, Wilson, Mavropanos, Rodriguez, Soucek, Irving, Kante, Mayers
Techniques & potential formation
It appears like a 4-3-3 formation on paper.
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Which means Donnarumma in objective (after all!), Nunes at right-back and Nico O’Reilly at left-back.
Dias and Gvardiol resume their central defensive partnership, with Nico the holding midfielder alongside Bernardo and Tijjani Reijnders.
Foden, Rayan Cherki and Haaland make a formidable – and in-form – ahead trio.
seven up for blues?
Metropolis go into as we speak’s sport in red-hot kind with six successive wins in all competitions.
Victory over West Ham United wouldn’t solely be the proper reward for Metropolis followers forward of Christmas, however for just a few brief hours, would additionally see us go high of the Premier League.
In fact, the Hammers are greater than able to inflicting the Blues issues this afternoon , but when we are able to repeat the type of the previous half-dozen video games, it would hold the stress on leaders Arsenal – and the groups round us.
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Hammer time!
Our report in opposition to West Ham makes for very nice studying.
Unbeaten in additional than a decade, we now have received 16 and drawn three of the final 19 conferences, residence and away, and the Hammers have misplaced 15 of their final 16 conferences on the Etihad.
The visiting followers should journey to east Manchester with a fir quantity of dread – although Metropolis received’t be taking something as a right.
One caveat, nevertheless – West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santos has a superb report in opposition to Pep with 4 victories in his 12 conferences with the Blues’ boss – a greater report than nearly all of managers can boast.
Stats, info & milestones
Metropolis have received their final 5 Premier League video games in opposition to West Ham, scoring at the very least three objectives every time. Solely Arsenal in opposition to Sunderland (2002 to 2007) and Manchester United in opposition to Nottingham Forest (1996 to 2022) have received six in a row in opposition to an opponent whereas scoring 3+ objectives every time.
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Metropolis have misplaced none of their final 46 Premier League residence video games in opposition to sides beginning the day within the relegation zone (W42 D4), since a 2-1 loss to Tottenham in November 2008. They’ve received every of the final 14 by an mixture rating of 43-7.
If West Ham fail to win this match, they’re assured to be within the relegation zone at Christmas. Will probably be the fifth time they’ve been within the backside three at Christmas within the Premier League, however they’ve averted relegation on the 2 earlier events they weren’t backside (18th in 2006-07, nineteenth in 2009-10).
For the reason that begin of April, Metropolis have received essentially the most residence video games (12) and residential factors (36) within the Premier League, failing to win simply as soon as in that sequence, a 2-0 defeat to Spurs. Metropolis have received all seven on the Etihad since that loss, final successful extra in a row on residence soil between January and November 2023 (15 in a row).
West Ham have drawn their final three away Premier League matches, taking the lead in two of these earlier than being pegged again. The Hammers haven’t drawn 4 in a row on the street since between November and January 2000.
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In his managerial profession, Metropolis’s Pep Guardiola has confronted West Ham extra usually with out ever dropping than he has another opponent (20 – W17 D3). Nevertheless, a type of attracts did lead to a penalty shootout defeat within the 2021-22 League Cup.
Erling Haaland has scored 9 Premier League objectives in opposition to West Ham, solely netting extra in opposition to Wolves (10). He might be the ninth participant to attain 10+ in opposition to the Hammers, and solely the third non Englishman after Mohamed Salah and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
Metropolis’s Rayan Cherki has assisted 5 objectives in his final 4 residence Premier League appearances regardless of enjoying simply 223 minutes in these matches. He’s performed 282 minutes general and amongst gamers to play 250+ minutes at a stadium in Premier League historical past, Cherki helping each 56 minutes on the Etihad is the most effective ratio.