Premier League preview: West Ham v Manchester City

Carlos Tévez

Carlos Tévez plied his trade at Upton Park for less than a year, but that was still enough time for the Argentina international to earn cult hero status among the West Ham faithful.

Now with Premier League champions Manchester City, Tévez is still fondly remembered by the Hammers supporters for saving their club from relegation at the end of the 2006-07 campaign.

A warm welcome is all but assured when he emerges from the tunnel at the east London ground on Saturday.

However, 90 minutes later the same supporters might be sick of the sight of him. It’s been noted by many at the start of this season that Tévez has looked leaner, sharper and hungrier to perform than ever before.

With four goals to his name, including the winner against Swansea in City’s most recent match, the 28-year-old clearly means business and seems determined to make up for lost time after last season’s dispute with manager Roberto Mancini.

City, of course, have proved formidable opponents in the past without Tévez. But with him in the squad, fit and firing, the champions possess a match-winner with a knack of popping up with crucial goals at crucial moment – as he showed last weekend against the Swans.

West Ham, though, know all about his qualities. But not only will they have to contend with the in-form Tévez to get anything from Saturday’s clash but they will also need to stifle the likes of Sergio Agüero, Samir Nasri and Yaya Touré – a task much easier said than done.

However, the Hammers have their own bulky striker with a similar capability to wreak havoc, as he has done on a regular basis against Manchester City over recent seasons.

Andy Carroll is yet to score for the Londoners since completing his loan move from Liverpool in August, but he will relish the chance of competing against the club he’s scored in four of the six matches he’s played against them.

The England forward consistently unsettles opposing defences with his aerial prowess and physical attributes, and knows how to put the ball past his international team-mate Joe Hart.

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce hopes that Carroll will continue his fine goalscoring streak against a City defence which has been fallible on occasions this season. It comes as a surprise given how sturdy their back-four was in their title-winning campaign, but Mancini will be relieved to welcome back right-back Pablo Zabaleta for this weekend’s trip to Upton Park.

The right-back spot at the Etihad Stadium was beginning to look cursed after Maicon, Zabaleta and, most recently, Micah Richards all picked up injuries. But Mancini’s first-choice in that position makes his return at the perfect time.

“I feel good, I’ve been training with the team and I think I should be fine to play on Saturday,” Zabaleta told the club’s website. “We have some problems in defence at the moment. We’ve had three full backs injured over the past few months, so it is great to be back with the team."

City may have been below-par, by the remarkably high standards they set last season, so far this term but with key players returning it shouldn’t be long before they hit top gear.

And even if they haven’t been at their best, it says a lot that they could still finish the weekend top of the Premier League table.

He won’t celebrate if he scores, but Tévez might just add another fond Upton Park memory to his collection.

Prediction: West Ham 1 Manchester City 2

Rob Swan - follow me on Twitter

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