Manchester City will look to make it 12 wins in a row when they entertain West Ham at the Etihad this Saturday in the English Premier League.
The runners-up of the Premier league last year currently lead the standings with five wins in five matches. They lead second-placed Leicester by four points, while heavyweights Arsenal and Manchester United are a further three points adrift.
West Ham come into the game at the backdrop of back-to-back wins in the league against Liverpool and Newcastle. Slaven Bilic led his side to a historic win against the Reds in the league at Anfield for the first time since 1963.
A victory against Arsenal at the Emirates on the opening weekend also is one of the highlights of the season for the Hammers, and they are currently fifth in the table with nine points.
Bilic has said that anything can be expected from the league and victories against two of the heavyweight English clubs and two defeats on the trot at home is a testament to that fact.
"It's still early days," the Croatian coach said. "I couldn't predict we would win against Arsenal and Liverpool, then lose against Leicester and Bournemouth," Bilic stressed his surprise at losing at home.
Meanwhile, Man City can be expected to find it a bit difficult to get back on track after their 2-1 loss against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League encounter in midweek. But the availability of star striker Sergio Aguero in the game today will give them a much-needed boost.
Manuel Pellegrini confirmed the Argentine hotshot is "100% fit to start", and the former Real Madrid boss also has the option of deploying record signing Kevin de Bruyne, and with it award him his first Premier League start in City colours.
Looking forward to the game against the Hammers, De Bruyne stated that West Ham cannot be considered an easy opponent, and French midfielder Dmitri Payet will be a real threat.
"I saw bits of their [West Ham's] game against Newcastle on Monday because we were in the team hotel and from what I saw, they played pretty well on the night," De Bruyne said.
"I know of Payet because one of my Belgium team-mates, Michy Batshuayi, played alongside him at Marseille for one season and he told me a lot about him. I know Payet had a lot of assists last year and that he's a really good player so he will be a threat, especially in his current form."
Payet has three goals and an assist from his five appearances in the Premier League this season.
Team News: Manchester City: Gael Clichy (ankle), Fabian Delph (hamstring), Vincent Kompany (calf), Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta (knee) are all set to miss the game. Nicolas Otamendi will be handed the captain's armband for the match.
West Ham: Angelo Ogbonna (hamstring), Joey O'Brien (calf), Alex Song (ankle), Enner Valencia (knee) are ruled out, while Pedro Obiang (ankle) and Mauro Zarate (hamstring) remain doubtful.
Expected lineups: Manchester City: Hart; Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Kolarov; Toure, Fernandinho; De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling; Aguero.
West Ham: Adrian; Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell; Noble, Kouyate; Moses, Obiang, Payet; Sakho.
Where to Watch Live
Manchester City vs West Ham kicks-off at 5.30 pm BST (10 pm IST, 12:30 pm ET). India - Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD2 will show the match live, while the online live streaming option on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
UK - Sky Sports 1 will telecast the match, and the online live streaming option is available on Now TV and Sky Go.
US - Watch Man City vs West Ham live on NBC Sports, with the live stream option on NBC Sports Live Extra.
