Erling Haaland gets all the headlines, with Kevin De Bruyne not too far behind him, in this regard, but Rodri is the sparkplug that makes the Manchester City engine roar. The midfield maestro is just as important to City’s success as Haaland, De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Phil Foden etc. Due to match fitness issues Rodri has not featured yet this season, so he is thus a doubt for Saturday at West Ham United.
Mateo Kovacic (unspecified knock) and Phil Foden (undisclosed illness) also face late fitness for this clash.
Manchester City at West Ham United FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Aug 31,ย 5:30pm, ย London Stadium
Starting XI Predictionsย ย Manchester Cityย ย ย ย West Ham United
Team News:ย Manchester Cityย ย ย ย ย West Ham United
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America:ย LINK
PL Position, Form:ย Manchester City 1st, 6 pts,ย WWย ย West Hamย 9th, 3 pts, LW
Google Result Probability: Manchester Cityย 68%ย ย Drawย 18%ย West Hamย 14%
Man City Team News
Meanwhile Oscar Bobb (fractured leg bone) will miss the next few months. Despite these absences, City are top of the table, having won their first two, and accrued a league best +5 goal differential along the way.
Bigger challenges are coming for sure though. Maybe not this weekend, but soon enough.
After the September international break, the schedule does get tougher.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor ofย The Sports Bank.ย Heโs also theย author of โTransatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,โ andย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.โ
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow himย on Linked In and Twitter.
