Preview: West Ham v Manchester City – Can Hammers follow up stunning Spurs win?

West Ham – Manchester City

Date: 19th October 2013

Venue: Upton Park

KO: 5.30pm

Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City travel to Upton Park this Saturday as they prepare to take on 13th placed West Ham United.

James Collins (Hamstring) and Alou Diarra (ACL Knee) will also be unavailable for selection.

Manchester City

City could be boosted by the return of club captain Vincent Kompany. The Belgian is the team’s most dependable defender and his absence has been duly noted at times this campaign.

Pellegrini could hand Martin Demichelis a debut if Kompany is not fit – the Argentine centre-back has been hampered by a knee injury since signing for the Manchester club.

Finally, Jack Rodwell is also available having previously missed out with a hamstring injury.

Recent Form:

West Ham surprised a number of people in their last league fixture, as they recorded a huge 3-0 victory over Tottenham. Previously they had failed to win on five occasions, with defeats coming against Stoke, Everton and Hull.

Manchester City have experienced a mixed bag of recent form and their current league position (5th) reflects this. The club destroyed city rivals Manchester United in September before losing to Aston Villa one week later. Their last league fixture saw them triumph over in-form Everton, with a scoreline of 3-1.

Player to Watch:

West Ham – Winston Reid

With a performance score of 206 points, Winston Reid has been West Ham’s top performer this season and he could surprise a few Manchester City fans this weekend.

The defender is strong at the back and provides a strong attacking threat from set pieces. His goal against Spurs came from a corner in the second half of the match to kick start the club’s path to victory.

Manchester City – Yaya Toure

Yaya Toure has been brilliant for City at times this season. The 30-year-old has already scored four times in seven appearances and he currently ranks as the club’s top scorer.

He has been a huge presence for the club in midfield – with a pass accuracy of 91% and a tackle success rate of 79%. It quickly becomes obvious just how much he dominates the game in the centre of the park.

With nine Squawka awards to his name, it is clear to see the impact he is currently having for the Manchester club.

Prediction:

Manchester City should come out on top in this fixture, especially comparing the wealth of quality that Pellegrini’s squad possesses. West Ham have struggled to score on a regular basis so far this campaign and I suspect this lack of goals will continue against the Citizen’s this weekend.

West Ham 0-2 Manchester City