Pelegrini’s acid test looms against City

One big question dominates as we approach Saturday and Manchester City and no it’s not how many we will they put past us!

Manuel Pellegrini confronts his former club with plenty of injury worries although both Andy Carroll and Jack Wilshere may return.

According to the Daily Mail  the latest on the latter is that the manager is preparing a late decision on whether or not he will be involved.

However, with a track record of going for it, we wait with much anticipation to how the boss will approach a match which most of us have already written off against the unbeaten league leaders.

Pellegrini has repeated regularly that we need to approach every game as a “big club” – Saturday and Manchester City will be an acid test as to whether that is either feasible or sensible.

It’s a big moment and will be it will be fascinating to see whether he will remain true to the attacking principles that have followed him through his career.

Whichever way you look at it this is a game we are destined to lose although the obvious rider is that it would be very West Ham for us to take something from it has to be applied.

Looking at the available resources, the back four appears to look after itself with  Zaba, Diop, Balbuena and probably Cresswell forming the line up with Declan Rice in front of them.

Across the middle we can expect to see Noble return alongside Snodgrass and Obiang with Anderson and Arnautovic completing a relatively attacking line up.

Grady Diangana looks a bench option on this occasion and I can find no starting place for Antonio but one thing looks certain Carroll’s long awaited return looks at hand at some stage during the 90.

It can be argued with so little expected there is no harm whatsoever in going for it whilst ensuring a defensive balance to ensure the confidence built on the back of an uneaten PL Kun of three isn’t too badly dented by a heavy defeat.

CandH prediction 1-3