Manchester City are back in Premier League action as they face West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium.
The Blues have won six games in a row in all competitions, and progressed to the semi finals of the Carabao Cup for the first time since 2021 after beating Brentford 2-0 on Wednesday evening.
Their opponents, meanwhile, have struggled so far this season and are currently three points away from safety, and pressure already lies on new manager Nuno Espirito Santos to turn things around quickly.
Here are
five things to look out for as the Blues play their last home game of 2025:
A start for Savinho
Injuries to Oscar Bobb and Jeremy Doku, as well as the absence of Omar Marmoush due to the African Cup of Nations, means City are thin on the ground in attacking areas.
You could argue that Savinho is the only natural attacker other than Erling Haaland, and after a goal in midweek I think Pep Guardiola will look to include him from the off.
Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Bernardo Silva are his other options, with Savinho and Reijnders being the only two of those to play 90 minutes in midweek.
One of them will start in the attacking quintet, with the versatility of Foden, Cherki and Bernardo meaning it can easily be adapted either way. And due to his goal and less frequent minutes in recent weeks, I think Savinho will get the nod.
A subsequent change of attacking set up
If Savinho does start, his lack of attacking flexibility means he won’t be able to join in with the rotations in the final third.
Unlike Doku, Foden or Marmoush when they play on the left, he’ll likely hug either the left or right touchline, which means an entirely different attacking set up is needed.
If he plays on the left, Foden, Cherki and Bernardo can continue their rotation between the right wing position and the two more attacking central positions. Often if Nunes pushes high, all three of them can get in the pockets between midfield and defence.
Nico O’Reilly is another option, as he provides box presence due to his height and physicality and was a midfielder by trade in the EDS. That would allow Bernardo to sit a bit deeper and protect the backline along with Nico Gonzalez or one of the trio previously mentioned to hold width, though it doesn’t suit any of their skillsets.
Guardiola bases his game on tactics and he’s found a solution with plenty of technical players in central areas. He has the players at his disposal to find a way to carry on playing this system even if Savinho starts in attack.
West Ham sitting deep
Nuno’s side are facing pressure from supporters for poor performances, and could be in line for their first relegation since the 2010/11 season.
The Portuguese manager is renowned for playing successful counter attacking systems at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest, and has the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Mateus Fernandes who thrive in transitional systems.
I expect West Ham to play a back five and a double pivot to try their best to minimise space in central attacking areas. They’ll know that whilst City have improved, they aren’t yet at their best defensively and can be hit by a sucker punch.
Ultimately they’re not good enough to try and play City at their own game, so defensive tactics are their best way of taking away a point or even three.
Academy players on the bench
As mentioned above, injuries and AFCON mean City are thin at the ground at the moment.
The continued absences of Rodri and Mateo Kovacic as well as injuries to Doku, Bobb and John Stones leaves City stretched enough as it is, but add Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri unavailable for the time being representing their countries and it means a few more injuries leaves City in big trouble.
Divine Mukasa played 90 minutes on Wednesday, and is clearly a talented player. He’s ready to be a part of the bench and play a few minutes when required.
Other candidates to make the nine man bench are Stephen Mfuni, Ryan McAidoo, the Heskey brothers Jaden and Reigan and Charlie Gray, the latter of whom made his first team debut against Brentford a few days ago.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak’s big dream was a squad full of academy players, like Barcelona have always had. Foden, O’Reilly, Bobb, James Trafford and Rico Lewis make up a steady core at the moment, and there are plenty of candidates to make the step up in the next season or two.
A big win to get us into the Christmas spirit!
This is City’s last game before Christmas Day, and the last home game of the calendar year.
There’s no midweek game, nor is there a traditional Boxing Day fixture, so City will have a week long break to prepare for facing Forest at the City Ground next Saturday lunchtime.
Guardiola’s team are currently in the best run of form they’re in since the last time they won the Premier League in 2024. They’re stringing wins together with good performances to boot, and beating the Irons would be the perfect way to set the supporters up for a very merry Christmas!
