ONCE again, City’s kick-off time has been moved to suit the armchair fan but - unlike against Everton last time out - we get to snatch a lie-in on Sunday with the visit of newly-promoted West Ham kicking off at 4.05pm.
It promises to be an exciting game with both sides making impressive starts to the season, without sacrificing their traditional footballing values.
City’s international contingent seems to have come back injury-free and let’s hope they can help to pop the Hammers’ bubble.
Trevor Sinclair and Robbie Fowler are still injured and it will be interesting to see if the impressive Stephen Ireland holds onto his place in the City engine room now Claudio Reyna is back to fitness.
One option could be to put Ireland on the left and drop the so-far ineffective Kiki Musampa to the bench. However, it is more likely that Ireland may figure on the right side of midfield if he does start.
The Hammers have an injury worry over Roy Carroll so that reduces our chances of ’scoring’ from the half-way line and he is set to be replaced by the evergreen Shaka Hislop.
Alan Pardew’s men could also field a former Manchester United striker partnership in the form of Teddy Sheringham and David Bellion so let’s hope Andrew Cole is the only former Red smiling come Sunday evening.
City were beaten 1-0 the last time West Ham visited the Blue side of Manchester in 2003 but came out on top two years earlier when a certain Stuart Pearce put through the wrong net to give City a 1-0 victory.
It promises to be a cracker…
TOP BET: Stephen Ireland first goalscorer at 18/1 with Totesport
CRAZY BET: Danny Mills to continue his ‘rich scoring form’ and bag a hat-trick at 200/1 with Coral