Manchester City vs West Ham United. Premier League.
Etihad StadiumAttendance52,159.
Watch live on Sky Sports Premier League, and highlights on the Sky Sports app, website and Sky Sports Football YouTube channel
Wednesday 19 February 2020 18:08, UK
Team news, key stats and ways to follow ahead of Manchester City vs West Ham on Wednesday (kick-off 7.30pm).
Leroy Sane, Benjamin Mendy and Aymeric Laporte, who all trained on Monday, could all return for Manchester City against West Ham.
German forward Sane has not featured since tearing a cruciate ligament in the Community Shield win over Liverpool in August. Left-back Mendy has missed the last four games due to an unspecified knock and French centre-half Laporte has managed just one game since recovering from a knee ligament injury sustained in August.
Their return to fitness will be a massive boost for Pep Guardiola, whose side sit one point above third-placed Leicester.
Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling misses out due to a hamstring injury and Oleksandr Zinchenko is suspended following his dismissal for two bookable offences in City's 2-0 defeat at Tottenham last time out.
West Ham boss David Moyes is resisting the temptation to throw Jarrod Bowen into his starting line-up in an attempt to boost the Hammers' chances of Premier League survival.
Bowen joined from Hull during the January transfer window but he is yet to make his debut for West Ham and Moyes will continue to ease Bowen into his team even if he admits to being impressed by what he has seen so far.
"I have been pleased with what I have seen from Jarrod at the moment," Moyes said on the eve of the City clash. "He's come in and settled in very quickly, he's looked very sharp in training. He's obviously had loads of games, it's not as if he's short of match practice or match fitness in any way so I have been pleased.
"But I am also wary of putting the boys in too quickly. I have had lots of boys from the Championship in the past and I think it's important that you put them in at the right time, the right moments, at the right time and we will just take our time and see when it's right for Jarrod."
Asked if Bowen was in his thinking to start at the Etihad Stadium, Moyes added: "I wouldn't say that and I wouldn't be direct as that and give you the answer even if I was. But obviously he is a talent. We need goals, he can do that. I am also very aware that we don't need to put pressure on him too quickly."
Elsewhere, West Ham's Felipe Anderson is back in contention to play after missing five games because of rib and back injuries, but this match will come too early for Andriy Yarmolenko.
Follow the match on Sky Sports Premier League from 7pm (kick-off 7.30pm) or in our dedicated live blog, with highlights published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel 15 minutes after full-time.
Manchester City are irrelevant in the context of the title race. When I look at Pep Guardiola's side, I see a genius in pain. He is not getting the criticism that many other coaches would be getting, because he is Pep. Everyone loves his style of play, the grip he has on players, the strain he puts on his players and himself. I have always loved it; even when he loses, he is angry and agitated. The Man Utd games at home probably made them reflect. Who has the hunger to still play under his guidance?
Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero are pitching in with the performances at the moment, but dare I say it Pep has got it wrong. Fernandinho is just not a centre-back. I would love to see how Fernandinho is in front of John Stones. It is so typical of West Ham at the moment that they occasionally turn up, put in a performance for 25 minutes, but if they lose a goal then it is game over. It is not a happy time but David Moyes will have to dig in.
CHARLIE PREDICTS: Manchester City 4-0 West Ham (17/2 with Sky Bet)
