[ad_pod ]

West Ham United face a tough task on Wednesday as they travel to the Etihad Stadium to take on reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side travel to face the Chilean coach’s former club in good form, having gone unbeaten in their last three league outings.

However, Pep Guardiola’s City side will be heavy favourites to secure victory in midweek, and it will take a special effort from the Hammers to achieve a positive result.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below...

On the chalkboard 

Although they ultimately lost on penalties in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, Chelsea showed that City can be shut out. The Irons can take confidence from this, as they can from the draws they’ve already earned against the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool this season themselves.

Pellegrini should take heed of the lessons that can be learned from these performances. West Ham have the capacity to secure a result against City, if they are set up correctly and execute their gameplan diligently. 

The gameplan

West Ham must be prepared to sit back and soak up pressure. In the likes of Declan Rice, Issa Diop and Aaron Cresswell they have defensively-minded players capable of committing themselves to this task with discipline and focus.

The Irons must also pose a threat on the counter attack. The pace of Michail Antonio and the invention of Felipe Anderson could be key to unlocking the City defence if given the opportunity on the break.