Manchester City will be desperate to cure their travel sickness and manage an away win, when they visit the West Midlands to take on West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Wednesday.
Manuel Pellegrini's men have been in spectacular form on their home turf - winning all seven Premier League games, scoring a massive 29 goals. However, the Citizens have won just one out of their five matches on the road, losing four.
City are currently third on the table with 25 points, six behind early pacesetters Arsenal. They have won their last three matches in all competitions, all at the Etihad, scoring an incredible 13 goals and will be keen to take that good run of form into the away fixtures now.
Tonight's game at The Hawthorns will be followed by a visit to seventh-placed Southampton at the weekend, and the 2011-12 league champions know the importance of these two away fixtures in their title bid. And captain Vincent Kompany's return, from a thigh injury that forced him to miss the last 10 games, has given them a shot in the arm.
"Kompany is in the squad list and he is travelling with the team. Vincent is a very important player. He is a very good defender and, of course, we need him. He is also the captain of the team and he will normally be in the 11 starting. We have other captains but all the team is happy with the return of the captain," Pellegrini stressed.
"It is a very strong team (West Brom). I saw the two games that they play against Arsenal and Chelsea and the last game that they drawn at home against Aston Villa. I think they are a very strong team. They are a difficult team. We need to play a very good game to get the three points tomorrow. Not only defending but also attacking because they defend very well," the Chilean added.
The Baggies, on the other hand, are not in the best of forms at the moment, after collecting just one win from their seven league matches since beating Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford back in September.
Steve Clarke's men had come close to shocking Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and derby rivals Aston Villa at the Hawthorns last month, though late goals by their opponents denied them a win on both occasions.
However, West Brom - who sit 12th on the table - are still a strong side at home, with their last four games at The Hawthorns earning them eight points, which include a draw against league leaders Arsenal.
Team News
West Brom: Clarke will be without the suspended Youssouf Mulumbu, after the midfielder collected his fifth yellow card of the league season against Newcastle. On-loan winger Scott Sinclair (hamstring) is out but is not eligible play against his parent club City anyway. Goalkeeper Ben Foster (foot) also remains sidelined.
Man City: David Silva, Matija Nastasic and Stevan Jovetic (all calf) remain sidelined for Pellegrini but injury returnee Kompany is in contention for a start. Also, Costel Pantilimon is again set to be retained in goal ahead of England no.1 Joe Hart.
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for a 1.30 am IST start on Thursday morning, with no live telecast in India. But you can catch the match via live streaming by clicking HERE. To watch the action in the U.S., click HERE. Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can click HERE.
Expected lineups: West Brom: Myhill; Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell; Yacob, Morrison; Amalfitano, Sessegnon, Brunt; Long
Hull: Pantilimon; Zabaleta, Demichelis, Kompany, Clichy; Toure, Fernandinho; Navas, Aguero, Nasri; Negredo
Prediction: 2-1 to West Brom
