Manchester City make the trip to the London Stadium to face West Ham United on Saturday afternoon looking to maintain their two-point advantage at the top of the Premier League standings.
West Ham welcome the top-flight champions sitting in 13th place in the table as manager Manuel Pellegrini prepares to face his former club for the first time since his departure in 2016.
West Ham United
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West Ham have endured a relatively disappointing start to the campaign given their financial outlay during the summer, but Pellegrini will recognise that there is reason for optimism heading into the winter months.
The Hammers put together a three-match unbeaten run before the international break and although the opposition was not as difficult as it could have been, it was at least a step in the right direction for a team who looked easy to beat throughout August.
The point at Leicester City could have been three but Pellegrini would have been delighted with his side's application after the first-half dismissal of Mark Noble, while the 4-2 success over Burnley was equally as clinical as it was dramatic.
Pellegrini would have been confident of a second successive win when facing Huddersfield Town at the John Smith's Stadium, but a comeback draw against a team on the up was not the worst result heading into the two-week break.
West Ham are still five points away from a spot in the top half of the table but there is at least some distance - four points to be precise - between Pellegrini's team and the relegation zone.
Manchester City are regarded as the toughest test in English football and Pellegrini would no doubt be delighted with any positive return this weekend, but the Chilean will also be aware that this is West Ham's last fixture against a top-six team in 2018.
That should - in theory - take some of the pressure off West Ham, but this is a team who have already taken points from Chelsea and Manchester United in front of their own supporters and will relish the opportunity to raise their performance yet again.
West Ham have only kept one clean sheet all season and it will be a concern for Pellegrini going forward, but Saturday's game is all about doing whatever it takes to try to disrupt a group of players who have been heavily involved in action with their nations over the past week.
Recent form: WLLDWD
Recent form (all competitions): LLDLWD
Manchester City
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Registering a convincing victory over Manchester United ahead of the international break was the perfect result for Pep Guardiola and his players, but the Spaniard will already have stressed that there is room for improvement all over the pitch heading into a crucial period of the campaign.
City have won 11 of their last 12 matches in all competitions with 38 goals and nine clean sheets coming during that spell, but the club remain just two points ahead of Liverpool in the table and are yet to seal top spot in their Champions League group.
Guardiola would have hoped for better at this stage of the season, but it will at least rid the squad of any complacency ahead of what is a hectic period on the road.
The trip to West Ham represents the first of four away fixtures which ends with the trip to Chelsea on December 8, and Guardiola will likely look to use his whole squad to ensure that they are ready for a huge showdown with the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
As many as eight players have started at least 10 of a possible 12 games in the Premier League this season, but dealing with recent injuries and prioritising certain matches will become a factor in the coming weeks.
City's English contingent have spent little time travelling during the international break, and that will likely give Raheem Sterling the chance to improve on his six goals and five assists from 10 Premier League outings.
Sterling has not shown his best form in away matches this season, with just one goal and two assists coming from eight matches in all competitions, but the 23-year-old has undoubtedly been City's best player since the start of August.
Goalkeeper Ederson has done what has been asked for him since arriving at the Etihad Stadium in 2017, but the Brazilian is likely to have been reminded about his concentration having conceded two penalties in his last three outings.
Recent form: WDWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWWW
Team News
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Bernardo Silva is sidelined for the visitors after the midfielder picked up a knock while representing Portugal during the international break, although the injury is not thought to be serious.
Oleksandr Zinchenko could replace Benjamin Mendy - who has undergone knee surgery - but Nicolas Otamendi is in contention despite an Achilles injury.
Ilkay Gundogan may come in for Fabian Delph as he continues his recovery from injury, and Sane could be preferred to Mahrez on the flank.
Pellegrini has revealed that both Jack Wilshere and Andy Carroll are available for West Ham after coming through a number of training sessions this week after a period on the sidelines.
Ryan Fredericks is also unavailable after picking up an injury to his fibula and Robert Snodgrass is serving a suspension for five yellow cards, but Noble returns having served a three-match ban.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Zabaleta, Balbuena, Diop, Cresswell; Noble, Rice, Obiang; Antonio, Arnautovic, Anderson
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Zinchenko; Gundogan, Fernandinho, D.Silva; Sterling, Aguero, Sane
Head To Head
Saturday's fixture will represent the 108th competitive meeting between the two clubs, with City claiming 50 victories in comparison to 37 wins for West Ham.
The Hammers recorded two triumphs in the space of a year between October 2014 and September 2015, but the East London outfit's record against City since 2009 is a disappointing one.
City have recorded 14 wins and three draws during that period, while 18 goals have been scored during the last five games against Saturday's opponents.
We say: West Ham United 0-3 Manchester City
West Ham have improved since the start of the campaign, but we can see nothing but a comfortable win for City at the weekend. Guardiola's team are still to hit top gear this season, and we only expect improvements during the middle part of the season.
Darren Plant
