Manchester City and West Ham meet in the Premier League Asia Trophy for the first game of their pre-season tours of China on Wednesday.
It has previously been unusual for two sides from the same league to meet during pre-season, but with the emergence of tournaments and tours of different countries it has become more common for teams at the top level to play each other before the season commences.
The winner of this clash will play in a final on against either Newcastle or Wolves, who also play each other on Wednesday.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Wednesday 17 July |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 13:30 (BST) |
| Where Is it Played? | Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre, China |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | Sky Sports Main Event/Sky Sports Premier League |
| Referee? | TBC |
Team News
City are without a few of their South American stars. Neither Sergio Aguero, Ederson or Gabriel Jesus have been named in the squad, while Riyad Mahrez is preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations final, so Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva could all start as the front three.
Phil Foden will join the squad in Hong Kong so will be unavailable here, but new signings Rodri and Angelino could both play their first games for the club. Fabian Delph has been omitted from the squad amid speculation he is close to sealing a switch to Everton.
On the way... ✈️🇨🇳
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 15, 2019
🔵 #mancity pic.twitter.com/2swgVCVBvV
Aaron Cresswell missed the Hammers' last pre-season game against Altach, and although he has travelled with the squad to China, he is unlikely to feature from the start.
Arthur Masuaku and Fabian Balbuena have been granted further time off after their AFCON and Copa America exploits, but Winston Reid is among the touring party after finally recovering from long-term injury.
Chilean Pellegrini is likely to field a strong lineup against City, with a point to prove ahead of the new Premier League season.
Predicted Lineups
| Manchester City | Bravo; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Angelino; Rodri, Gundogan, Zinchenko; Sane, Bernardo Silva, Sterling. |
| West Ham | Fabianski; Fredericks, Diop, Balbuena, Johnson; Noble, Rice, Wilshere; Snodgrass, Felipe Anderson, Hernandez. |
Head to Head Record
The recent fixtures between these two teams don't provide too many happy memories for West Ham fans. They last beat the Citizens in 2015, conceding 25 goals in the eight games since then.
😋 @JackWilshere pic.twitter.com/6jf1mAlons
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) July 15, 2019
During the 2018/19 season, City won 4-0 at the London Stadium in November before picking up a more slender victory in February, Sergio Aguero netting a penalty in a 1-0 victory at the Etihad.
Recent Form
West Ham got their pre-season festivities up and running with a 3-2 victory over Austrian side Altach, Carlos Sanchez, Michail Antonio and Issa Diop all scoring.
City are yet to play this summer - their last match being the 6-0 thrashing of Watford that secured them the FA Cup - but don't expect them to come into this game cold, even if there has been a bit of a kerfuffle over their flights.
Prediction
Overall, this could be an interesting clash with City the favourites to come out on top. However, West Ham are an established Premier League side and should put up a fight.
City should have too much for the Hammers, but don't expect a classic - pre-season games rarely are.
Prediction: Manchester City 2-0 West Ham
Source: 90min
