Manchester City will be searching for a much needed victory when they host West Brom on Saturday afternoon. The hosts recently were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League to La Liga giants Barcelona and also lost ground in the Premier League race after losing to Burnley 1-0. 

West Brom though will offer a stern test as they have been completely revitalised under the tutoledge of Tony Pulis. The Citzens currently sit in second on 58 points, 6 points off Chelsea in first. Pellegrini's men will hope that The Blues manage to let the pressure get to them in the closing stages of the season, although unlikely, especially as they have a game in hand following their Capital One Cup final fixture against Tottenham Hotspur. West Brom on the other side are 13th on 33 points and 8 points off the relegation zone. In the Baggies' last fixture, they defeated Pulis' former employers Stoke City, 1-0.

When these sides met earlier in the season City brushed aside a woeful West Brom side, winning 3-1 at the Hawthorns.

Team News:

The home side will be compete without influential midfielder, Yaya Touré due to an Achilles injury. Left-back, Aleksandar Kolarov is a doubt because of a muscle problem and James Milner is unavailable due to a knee injury. Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta will be hoping to be recalled into the starting line-up at the expense of Bacary Sagna and Kolarov. Eliaquim Mangala will also be looking to start the game at The Ethiad Stadium after recovering from an injury. 

West Brom will be without midfield pair, Claudio Yacob and Chris Brunt due to suspension. Ben Foster is ruled out of action for the next month or so, due to a knee injury he suffered in The Baggies' previous league fixture. Calum McManaman (foot) and Victor Anichebe (groin) are rated as doubtful. Nigerian international, Brown Ideye picked up a knock in last week's 1-0 victory against Stoke, so is not expected to start but may feature. 

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About the author
Daniel Jefferson
Hull City fan, Journalism at the University of Lincoln.