Manchester City vs West Ham United, Premier League Matchday 28: Team News, Preview and Prediction

Competition/Round: 2018/19 English Premier League Season – Matchday 28

Date/Time: Manchester City vs West Ham United – Wednesday, 27 February 2019, 20:00 GMT (UK); 15:00 EST, 12:00 PST (USA)

Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, United Kingdom

Match Officials:

Referee: Stuart Attwell

Assistants: Stuart Burt, Constantine Hatzidakis

Fourth Official: Mike Dean

TV Info: None

Live Stream: NBC Sports Gold (USA)

Radio: BBC Radio Manchester (UK); TalkSport Radio World (USA)

Preview:

Following an entertaining EFL “Carabao” Cup Final on Sunday, Manchester City returns to English Premier League action on Wednesday. City will host West Ham United on Matchday 28.

Despite dismissing talks of a potential quadruple, City manager Pep Guardiola and his side celebrated their first success in the 2018/19 season by defeating Chelsea in the EFL Cup Final. Having won this competition last season, the cup could serve as an additional boost in their EPL title defense, and may influence their run in the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. The Blues will have to avoid a celebratory hangover, however, as they face West Ham United on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, West Ham United are starting to turn things around. The Hammers struggled at the start of the season, and were quickly eliminated from EFL and FA Cup contention by lower division teams. Since this dip, the London club has returned to form and has earned some impressive results, including a recent victory over Arsenal and a draw with Liverpool. West Ham will look to add to their portfolio as they hope to earn a result on Wednesday.

Team News:

Manchester City are without long term absentees Benjamin Mendy and Claudio Bravo. Gabriel Jesus and John Stones, who hold minor injuries, are returning to fitness. City received a blow during the EFL Final, however, as they lost both Aymeric Laporte and Fernandinho to injury.

West Ham are without Andriy Yarmolenko, Jack Wilshire and Fabian Balbuena, who have been sidelined with long term injuries. Winston Reid is also absent. Carlos Sanchez is out for the remainder of the 2018/19 EPL season.

Possible Lineups:

Manchester City

Formation: 4-3-3

Ederson; Danilo, Kompany, Otamendi, Delph; De Bruyne, Gündoğan, D. Silva; Mahrez, Agüero, Sané

Manager: Pep Guardiola

West Ham United

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Fabíanski; Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Noble; Antonio, Snodgrass, Anderson; Hernández

Manager: Manuel Pellegrini

Prediction:

Having played 120 minutes of football on Sunday, it is likely Guardiola will change up his side to give his starters a rest. As a result, this could lead to a cagier affair as the Blues will be recovering from Sunday’s cup final.

Meanwhile, West Ham will have two more days of rest as they played against Fulham on Friday. With the extra time and preparation, this may give the Hammers a slight edge in this contest.

Overall, City may be gassed and will struggle to find their form against West Ham. West Ham, however, have been very inconsistent this season. Therefore, it is predicted City’s experience and their recent trophy win will be just enough to edge their opposition.

Manchester City 2-1 West Ham United