Manchester City vs West Ham preview: Manuel Pellegrini makes first Etihad return

Manuel Pellegrini makes his first return to Manchester City since his sacking in 2016 when his West Ham side visit the Etihad on Wednesday (kick-off 8pm).

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Pellegrini was sacked as City boss two years after leading them to their second Premier League title, and defended his tenure and the effect FFP had on his time at the Etihad in the build-up to his return on Wednesday night.

Manchester City come into the game fresh from winning the first major silverware of the season with penalty shootout triumph over Chelsea in the final of the Carabao Cup on Sunday.

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They can potentially cap a fine week by going top of the Premier League if they better Liverpool's result, with the Reds hosting Watford on Wednesday night too.

City have shaken off a poor spell over December to win 13 of their last 15 games and keep themselves firmly on the coat tails of Liverpool, scoring 17 goals in their last five Premier League games.

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West Ham have taken points off the top six this season - Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all dropping points against them at the London Stadium - but away from home they have lost four and drawn one of their last five games in all competitions.

Team news

Manuel Lanzini is set to be on the bench again when West Ham travel to City, having made his first appearance of the season as a sub against Fulham on Friday after recovering from a torn ACL.

Fabian Balbuena (knee) is back in training but will not be involved until the weekend at the earliest, while fellow defender Winston Reid has also begun light training - although he is some weeks from returning from his long-term knee
injury.

Jack Wilshere, Andriy Yarmolenko and Carlos Sanchez are still sidelined.

Opta stats

• Manchester City have won 10 of their 12 league games against West Ham at the Etihad, drawing 1-1 in January 2008 and losing 1-2 in September 2015.
• West Ham are winless in their last six Premier League meetings with Man City (D1 L5), losing the last five by an aggregate scored of 3-17.
• Man City have won all six of their meetings with West Ham in all competitions under Pep Guardiola, scoring 22 goals and conceding just three.
• Since beating each of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City at the start of the 2015-16 season, West Ham are winless in their last 17 away league games against 'big six' opponents (D6 L11).
• Manchester City have scored at least twice in each of their last 15 Premier League home games (W14 D0 L1), the longest such run in the top flight since Spurs did so in 16 consecutive home matches between March-December 1965.
• Sergio Aguero could become the first player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick in three consecutive home appearances - the Argentine hit hat-tricks against Arsenal and Chelsea and has scored 25 goals in his last 16 starts at the Etihad for Man City.
• Sergio Aguero has ended on the winning side in each of his last 23 Premier League starts at the Etihad for Man City, scoring 29 goals and assisting seven in those matches.
• West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini will be just the third different manager to play away against Man City having previously managed them in the competition. Of the two, Peter Reid lost his return to Maine Road (2-4 in August 2000), while Mark Hughes' record at the Etihad after leaving was P9 W1 D2 L6.
• David Silva has scored more goals in all competitions against West Ham as a Manchester City player than he has vs any other opponent (6).
• West Ham have lost 19 of their 22 away Premier League matches against the reigning champions (W1 D2), with their only win coming against Manchester United in December 2001 under Glenn Roeder.

Merson's prediction

If you can drag a game on for as long as possible, Manchester City are not the same team. When they get 1-0 and 2-0 up in the first 15, 20 minutes, you might as well go home. They all want the ball.

But as it drags on, they get a bit nervous, not many want the ball and it gets a bit iffy. But I can't see West Ham stopping them from scoring in the first half.

PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0 (7/1 with Sky Bet)

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