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Manchester City return to Premier League action this afternoon when they host West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola's side head into the game full of confidence after securing their spot in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night with a 2-0 victory over Brentford. That win made it six wins in a row for City and they will be heavy favourites to make it seven today.
The Blues come up against a struggling West Ham side who have not beaten City inside 90 minutes since 2015. Nuno Espirito Santo's side currently occupy the final spot in the relegation zone and have not won since a 3-2 victory over Burnley back at the beginning of November.
If City are going to be victorious this afternoon, they will need to do it without seven players. Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are unavailable due to competing at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Meanwhile, Oscar Bobb, Jeremy Doku, John Stones, Rodri and Mateo Kovacic remain sidelined with injuries. As for West Ham, former Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka is at AFCON so misses the game while Nicklas Fullkrug has returned to training this week but whether he makes the team remains to be seen.
Follow all the updates from the Etihad Stadium throughout the day below...
11:08Jack Flintham
How to watch City vs West Ham
If you are in the UK, you are unable to watch the game today live due to the 3pm kick-off. This is due to the 'Blackout Rule' imposed to protect lower league football in England. As such, the best to keep across all of the build-up, action and reaction is right here on the MEN Sport matchday blog!
11:08Jack Flintham
Hello!
Good morning and welcome to the City matchday blog as the Blues welcome West Ham to the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola's men head into the game full of confidence thanks to a 2-0 win over Brentford in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night. They have now won all of their last six matches and come up against an opponent they have an exceptional record against recently. If that's not enough Christmas cheer for the City fans, their side will move top of the Premier League if they are victorious - if only for a few hours due to Arsenal kicking off at 8pm.
Stay tuned for all the updates from the Etihad Stadium...
English (US) ·