Man City boss Pep Guardiola gives a thumbs up to one of his players. (Getty Images)
Manchester City completely dominated their city rivals and claimed all three points with a 3-1 victory in the Manchester derby before the international break.
Pep Guardiola’s men are on a goalscoring spree in the Premier League, having already netted 36 goals so far this season and the Citizens will be the strong favourites when they make the trip to east London to face West Ham on Saturday.
West Ham played out a rather stale draw in their previous outing against Huddersfield Town and the Hammers will have a mountain to climb when they face the league leaders on Saturday.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side should draw heart from their performances against the top-six sides this season, having claimed five valuable points from their fixtures against Everton, Manchester United and Chelsea earlier in the season.
Pep Guardiola has plenty of injuries to contend with for Saturday’s clash. Benjamin Mendy had a surgery on his left knee following a meniscus tear and will be unavailable for selection while Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva are also ruled out with knee and muscular injuries respectively.
Eliaquim Mangala and Claudio Bravo are long-term absentees while Nicolas Otamendi is suffering from Achilles tendonitis.
The Brazilian conceded a bizarre penalty in the last game but continues to be a reliable presence at the back for the Citizens.
He has been one of the standout figures for City at the back this season and there is no reason why Guardiola should bench him for this one.
The Englishman looked solid at the back in the last game and added a lot of value to the team with his ball-playing ability.
He has defended with a lot of elegance and authority and Guardiola should continue to rely on him.
The injury to Mendy should open the door for the Ukrainian starlet to get a start on the left.
The veteran has been at the top of his game in the Premier League and has established himself as the heartbeat of the team in the midfield, dictating proceeding with his game-reading ability and flawless distribution.
The diminutive Spaniard’s midfield masterclass completely bamboozled Manchester United in the last game and he will be expected to do the same on Saturday.
He got his name on the scoresheet in the last game and should find himself in the starting XI due to the injury to Bernardo Silva.
The Algerian has been one of the mainstays of City’s attack this season and Guardiola should hand him another start.
The German will be in high spirits after scoring his first international goal for Germany in the Nations League and deserves a start ahead of Raheem Sterling.
The talismanic Argentinian is scoring the goals even though he hasn’t been at his best this season and City should be happy with that.