Manchester City travel to West Brom on Saturday looking to extend their Premier League winning run to eight.
Pep Guardiola’s side had won 11 consecutive games, a joint club record, ahead of Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out win against Wolves.
City 19/20 to beat Baggies to nil
Guardiola made a number of changes to his line-up for the Wolves game but will revert to as strong a team possible for the game at the Hawthorns.
MAN CITY INJURIES
Vincent Kompany (calf) and Benjamin Mendy (knee) will miss out. Kompany could return to training next week, but is some way off full fitness. Mendy will return to Manchester next week as he steps up his recovery from knee ligament damage but he is out until April at the earliest.
Ilkay Gundogan received treatment towards the end of extra-time against Wolves in midweek but he has stressed via social media that he is fine.
MAN CITY SUSPENSIONS
Neither Manchester City nor West Brom have any suspensions.
MAN CITY POTENTIAL STARTING LINE-UP
Pep Guardiola has shuffled his pack slightly in recent matches, with Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus left on the bench for last weekend’s win against Burnley.
Both returned against Wolves, however, and it is expected that the vast majority of those who did not start against the Championship side – Ederson, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi, Fabian Delph, Fernandinho, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane – will return.
The only question mark should be whether Sane gets back into the front three, and if so then for whom. Sergio Aguero has started the last two matches, while Jesus and Sterling returned to the line-up alongside the Argentine against Wolves.
WEST BROM TEAM NEWS
West Brom could be without several first-teamers for City’s visit. Jonny Evans, a City target in the summer, is struggling with a groin injury, while James Morrison, Gareth Barry and Hal Robson-Kanu will be assessed in the run-up to kick-off.
Craig Dawson has a knee injury and is unlikely to play, while summer signing Oliver Burke has a hamstring injury.
OPTA MATCH FACTS
- West Bromwich Albion have lost 14 of their last 15 Premier League games against Manchester City (D1), including losing the last 11 in a row.
- On only two previous occasions have WBA lost 12 consecutive league matches against a single opponent – versus Chelsea (1989- 2011) and versus Liverpool (1985-2010).
- 25 points is Manchester City’s joint-best points return after the first nine games of a Premier League season alongside (2011-12). The only team with more points at this stage of the season were Chelsea (27) in 2005-06.
- West Brom have won just two of their 18 Premier League games since April 1st 2017 (W2 D6 L10). Over this period, Tony Pulis’ side have won fewer points than any ever-present Premier League club (12) and even fewer than Newcastle (14 from nine games).
- Manchester City have already enjoyed a victory at the Hawthorns this season, winning 2-1 there in the Carabao Cup. Their opening goal that night was scored by Leroy Sane and ended a sequence of 52 passes involving every City player at least twice. No outfield West Brom player touched the ball until WBA kicked off again 3:16 in to the game.
- Kevin De Bruyne has been involved in a team passing sequence for 19 open play goals and 77 open play shots this season in the Premier League – both more than any other player in the competition.
- Leroy Sane has both scored and assisted in three of his last four Premier League appearances for Manchester City. The German has been involved in nine goals in his last six Premier League games for the club (five goals, four assists).
TV COVERAGE & KICK-OFF TIME
Kick off is 15:00 BST and the game is not available on UK television.
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