Cherki Set to Ignite Man City's Attack Against West Ham as Red-Hot Streak Continues
Manchester City have the opportunity to claim the top position by Christmas if they secure victory against West Ham United while Arsenal stumble against Everton on Saturday evening.
The Citizens trail Mikel Arteta's Arsenal by merely two points and could overtake the league leaders with a win over West Ham at the Etihad Stadium. Thanks to their better goal difference, City might end the weekend at the summit if Arsenal fail to collect maximum points at Everton's new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Pep Guardiola's team has secured six consecutive victories across all competitions, continuing their winning run with a Carabao Cup quarterfinal success in midweek, and appear ready to cruise to another victory against one of their preferred adversaries.
This is how City might set up against the relegation-battling West Ham.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. West Ham (4-1-4-1)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—Donnarumma shouldn't face significant pressure at the Etihad and will be fresh for any challenges after being rested during the midweek fixture.
RB: Matheus Nunes—The Portuguese player delivered an excellent cross to Erling Haaland for City's opening goal against Crystal Palace last weekend, bringing his total to four goal contributions across 14 Premier League appearances this season.
CB: Rúben Dias—Similar to his goalkeeper, Dias won't anticipate heavy workload on Saturday, though he must monitor West Ham's primary danger man Jarrod Bowen closely.
CB: Joško Gvardiol—Both Dias and Gvardiol found the net in City's previous Premier League home fixture, and the defensive pair will look to capitalize on West Ham's set-piece vulnerabilities.
LB: Nico O'Reilly—With Rayan Aït-Nouri joining Algeria's squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations preparations, Guardiola has limited options but to field promising youngster Nico O'Reilly.
DM: Nico González—Guardiola has acknowledged that City wouldn't be in their current strong position without González anchoring the midfield, particularly with Rodri and Mateo Kovačić remaining unavailable.
RM: Bernardo Silva—Among Guardiola's most trusted players, Silva only featured in the final 15 minutes of Wednesday's victory over Brentford. At 31, such rotation proves beneficial.
CM: Rayan Cherki—After struggling with injuries early in his English career, Cherki is now demonstrating his quality. The French midfielder has been unstoppable recently and netted another brilliant goal midweek while continuing to display exceptional ability.
CM: Phil Foden—Foden has found the back of the net six times in his previous four league matches and appears perfectly positioned to exploit West Ham's shaky defense, which hasn't kept a clean sheet since late August.
LM: Savinho—Jérémy Doku's absence creates another chance for Savinho, who scored against Brentford. The Brazilian requires consistent starts to gain rhythm after a subdued opening half of the campaign.
ST: Erling Haaland—No team fears Haaland more than West Ham. The towering Norwegian has netted nine goals in just six encounters against them—with five of those coming last season. His current tally stands at 23 goals across all competitions for City.
