Manchester City v West Brom Team News and Prediction

Manger quotes, player quotes, team news and prediction ahead of Manchester City v West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League.

What the managers are saying:

Manchester City manager, Manuel Pellegrini – But I said before that playing against a relegation-threatened team is not easy. Sunderland did very well to get a point. Always, playing against these teams at the end of the season is very difficult. You see what happened with Crystal Palace against Everton (Palace won 3-2 at Goodison Park) and what happened with our team against Sunderland. They are very difficult teams because they play at 100 per cent for every ball. I hope we can have the same attitude and the same intensity.”

WBA manager Pepe Mel on whether one more win would be enough to stay up – “No, I don’t think so. I really do like the Premier League – because every week things change. I imagine another 10 or 12 managers are possibly doing the same – both those at the top and the bottom of the league. But what we really need to worry about most is ourselves.”

What the Players are saying:

Manchester City midfielder, Fernandinho – “The draw left the team a bit unhappy. The spirits will be down, but at the same time we are already focussing on the game against West Brom to lift the spirits up, and to get the job done. With the three weeks left in the in the Premier League, there’s still a lot of things that can happen, a lot of twists. We have to believe in ourselves, focus on the next game, and see what happens.”

West Bromwich Albion defender Youssouf Mulumbu – We’ve done well against the big teams this season. It’s a crucial game for Manchester City but also for West Brom as well. On Wednesday we saw Sunderland draw against City so anything is possible in football, especially in England. It’s like a cup game. You never know what’s going to happen. We just need to go there and start well, start sharp like we did last Saturday against Tottenham and show a little bit more strength at the end of the game.”

Manchester City v West Brom Team News

Manchester City will be without David Silva and Yaya Toure for the game with Javi Garcia and James Milner set to continue in their absence. Jesus Navas will also be missing for Manuel Pellegrini’s men along with long-term absentee Matija Nastasic. WBA’s only major absentee is Zoltan Gera with Jonas Olsson confident of returning after injury. James Morrison will definitely be available.

Form and Prediction:

This game is a must win for both sides. Manchester City still have their eyes on the titles and cannot afford any more slip ups as they look to pounce on any slip up by Liverpool. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have dropped four points in the last week and while the defeat to the Reds was to be somewhat expected the draw at home to Sunderland was not. City are currently nine points off the top although they do have two games in hand.

West Brom meanwhile are just three points and two places off the final relegation zone but will head into the clash in confident mood with one win and two draws in their last 3 games.

Trevor is a Dublin based journalist and content writer, having already written a number of sports related books, including Running through Walls, the Dave Langan Story. You can follow Trevor at Google here.

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