Venue: Upton Park
Date: Saturday, 25th October
Time: 12:45pm
Referee: Martin Atkinson
MATCH PREVIEW:
Rewind back to last season, Manchester City were dominant in all the four fixtures against West Ham including a humiliating 6-0 bashing of the Hammers in the Capital One Cup. In fact, City got fourteen goals past West Ham last season and conceded just one.
Despite his team’s poor showing lasts season against City, Hammers gaffer, Sam Allardyce will be buoyed by the strings of decent results in the 2014-2015 Premier League season which has seen them climb up to fourth on the standings.
Six maximum points from the last two games against QPR (2-0) and Burnley (3-1) has seen fans praising the gaffer whose summer transfer signings have been largely responsible for this feat. However, Manchester City will be a much tougher test for West Ham than the previous teams they have faced.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men will look to bounce back to winning ways after a very disappointing continental engagement which saw them pick just a point after squandering a two goal lead against CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League.
Domestic form seems to be good for the Champions on the backdrop of a Sergio Aguero four goal haul in the 4-1 maul of Tottenham Hotspurs. West Ham should be weary of the form that has seen the Argentine emerge as City’s all time Premier League top goal scorer with 61 goals.
West Ham has got a prolific scorer this season as well. At least they can boast that £3.5m summer recruit, Diafra Sakho has found the back of the net in each of the EPL games he has started for the side.
TEAM NEWS:
Hammers have midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate and defender James Tomkins available this weekend after hamstring and thigh injuries that has seen both miss recent games.
Andy Carroll was back in training earlier this week after recovering from his ankle injury, but he is not expected to return to the squad until next month.
Frank Lampard is a doubt for Manchester City having injured his thigh against Tottenham last weekend. French midfielder Samir Nasri is also unavailable after a groin operation.
MATCH STATS:
West Ham have taken just one point from their last six Barclays Premier League encounters with Manchester City (L5 D1).
Sergio Aguero (108 mins) has the best mins-per-goal rate of any player in Barclays Premier League history (excluding players with fewer than 20 goals).
The Hammers lost four times to City last season (twice in the league and both legs of the League Cup semi-final).
West Ham have won four league games this season. In 2013-14 they didn't reach this tally until January.
Manchester City have gone five Premier League games without defeat, the second longest current run in the division.
Sergio Aguero's record of nine goals in his team's opening eight games has never been bettered in Premier League history.
Aguero has scored four away goals in the Premier League this season. He has never scored more than seven on the road in a single campaign.
Diafra Sakho is only the second player in Premier League history (after Mick Quinn) to score in each of his first five starts in the competition.
RECENT FORM:
West Ham: WWLWDL
Man City: DWWDWW
LAST HEAD-TO-HEADS AT UPTON PARK:
0-3, 1-3, 0-0, 1-3
