How Man City should line up vs West Ham in Premier League

Manchester City will be without three key players for the Premier League trip to West Ham on Saturday. John Stones and Jack Grealish remain absent with the injuries that kept them out of the international break, while Mateo Kovacic has picked up a back problem that meant he didn't play for Croatia in the last fortnight.

Kevin De Bruyne remains a longer-term absentee. Pep Guardiola is back after missing two games to recover from back surgery, and he will have to shuffle his pack at the London Stadium against a West Ham team with 10 points from 12, just two behind leaders City.

Jeremy Doku could make his second start for the Blues, while new signing Matheus Nunes could also make his debut in Kovacic's absence.

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Read how our writers think City should line up below and use the interactive team selector to pick your own starting XI ...

The Champions League is back but West Ham away is the trickier game that will require more experience. While it makes sense to start Josko Gvardiol and Matheus Nunes in midweek, the safer option in the Premier League is to back the players who have been around for longer.

That means asking Bernardo Silva to play in that hybrid midfield role alongside Rodri in the absence of the injured Mateo Kovacic, while Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez can continue to show what they offer to the team ahead of them.

The one exception must be Jeremy Doku in place of the injured Jack Grealish; Doku started against Fulham and can perhaps provide a directness to surprise West Ham. Behind him, Nathan Ake is a solid option that can move inside as and when required