Manchester City begin the defence of their Premier League trophy by taking on West Ham United at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
After spending big money in the transfer market over the summer, the Hammers will be hoping to make a positive statement on their own turf against the reigning champions.
West Ham United
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Despite a significant outlay on new players coinciding with the arrival of Manuel Pellegrini last summer, there continues to be optimism in East London after a 10th-place finish in the Premier League during the most recent campaign.
However, after more important additions to the first-team squad, Pellegrini and his players are aware that expectations have increased, with qualification for European football considered to be the next stage of their progression.
Given the similar progress which has been made at other clubs, such an achievement is far from a certainty, especially over the next 12 months when the top-half of the standings will be as competitive as ever.
However, the club's supporters will want to see signs that improvements have been made, even if they are beginning the season by welcoming the defending champions to their home ground.
West Ham were given a tough assignment at this stage 12 months ago, with a humbling 4-0 loss at Liverpool being followed by defeats which undermined the rest of the season.
The size of that setback may prove to be the catalyst behind a faster start this time around, although a certain amount of perspective remains ahead of squaring off against a side of City's quality.
Sebastian Haller - having netted 19 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt during the last campaign - will be keen to make an instant impact, as will playmaker Pablo Fornals who has been tipped for big things after signing from Villarreal.
That said, while Pellegrini will want to see his flair players flourish on such an occasion, the Chilean will not be satisfied unless his whole team deliver a united performance on Saturday afternoon.
Recent form: WLLWWD
Manchester City
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Pep Guardiola will deny that his club are the clear favourites to successfully defend their Premier League crown, but it is difficult to argue that Man City have not gotten stronger over the past three months.
While a lack of a new centre-back to replace Vincent Kompany is an obvious issue, the additions of Rodri and Joao Cancelo have the potential to take the North-West outfit to the next level.
In the case of Rodri, his qualities were on show during last weekend's Community Shield against Liverpool, a game which City eventually won courtesy of a penalty shootout.
There were occasions when the arrival from Atletico Madrid was effectively used as a third central defender, and it provided City with extra space to exploit further up the pitch.
Cancelo has been brought in as a direct replacement for Danilo, who has subsequently replaced the Portugal international at Juventus, although the right-sided defender will be as much of an asset in the final third as he will at the back.
Perhaps the biggest concern for Guardiola is identifying players who can be long-term leaders in the dressing room, with David Silva scheduled to follow Kompany out of the exit door next summer.
Like Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have had to contend with in recent years, a changing of the guard can sometimes hinder progression on the pitch, which could put the onus on several experienced players to take on more responsibility behind the scenes at the Etihad Stadium.
Nevertheless, this remains a hugely talented squad, one which may dominate for years to come if they can overcome the issues which may face them over the coming season.
Recent form: WDWWD
Team News
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City will be without Leroy Sane for a number of months after the winger suffered a serious knee injury against Liverpool last weekend.
Benjamin Mendy is also out of contention with a knee problem, while Aymeric Laporte and Fernandinho are unlikely to start after missing the fixture at Wembley Stadium.
Having featured for most of the game against the Merseyside giants, Gabriel Jesus could get the nod over Sergio Aguero, who remained as an unused substitute.
Lukasz Fabianski is expected to return for the Hammers having missed the last two pre-season friendlies, but Mark Noble remains injured and will not feature in the squad.
That should lead to a start for Jack Wilshere, while each of Fornals and Haller will likely be named in the team after their big-money transfers.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Fredericks, Balbuena, Diop, Cresswell; Rice, Wilshere; Anderson, Fornals, Lanzini; Haller
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Zinchenko; Rodri, De Bruyne, D.Silva; Bernardo, Sterling, Jesus
Head To Head
Saturday's fixture will represent the 110th competitive meeting between the two clubs, with City registering 55 wins in comparison to 37 victories for West Ham.
City have won the last seven matches in all competitions, scoring a total of 23 goals, although West Ham did record an away success as recently as 2015.
Less than a month has passed since the teams squared off in the Premier League Asia Trophy, with City prevailing by a 4-1 scoreline.
We say: West Ham United 1-4 Manchester City
While West Ham should offer plenty of flair going forward, we are expecting City to be clinical in East London. Whether it is Aguero or Jesus who gets the nod in attack, there will be a desire to make a mark ahead of next week's meeting with Tottenham Hotspur.
Darren Plant
