mancityblues.com

This is a game that Mancini is expected to win No disrespect to the Hammers.

I've been really impressed with the gritty displays at Blackburn and against United in recent weeks, and although we've not been playing great football, the spirit and character has been faultless. Without Tevez, the team as a whole has raised their game, with the Kompany proving to be inspirational. Confidence seems to be rising as the season reaches it's conclusion, but the encounter with West Ham will be a difficult proposition - they looked quite handy against Chelsea the other day and did not deserve a 3-0 defeat.

Put yourself in Avram Grant's position - the Hammers are in another relegation battle, desperate for points and will face fellow strugglers Blackburn and Wigan after the City fixture. Also, they are missing their talismanic midfielder Scott Parker, Mark Noble and possibly Matty Upson, compounding their problems still further - so will the West Ham manager go with a defensive line-up and hope to use the pace of Ba, Sears and Obinna on the break, or will the Israeli really pressure City in an attempt to snatch a vital win? Grant will have seen how Blackburn really gave our team a workout on Monday, and it's fair to say that when teams attack City's full-backs, they tend to be rewarded, so Mancini must not be tempted to throw caution to the wind in this game. Additionally, while Carlton Cole has been inconsistent this season, he offers a similar threat to Blackburn's Chris Samba from long balls/set-pieces, and this has caused some problems for the City defenders at times - Joe Hart take note.

Either way, Mancini must prepare the City team for a difficult game, as I suspect West Ham will see this fixture as an all-or-nothing kind of tie. There are no new injury concerns for City, the only question mark being whether Dzeko should start ahead of Balotelli - personally, I'd stick with Mario and introduce Edin only if required, as the Italian is better able to stretch the West Ham defence as a lone striker. It's tempting to play a 4-4-2 formation for this one, seeing as West Ham have been quite porous at the back, but the 4-3-3/4-5-1 set-up seems to be a better fit for the players at the moment - the only midfielder who has looked less than 100% has been Gareth Barry, but his presence in the team does allow the more attacking individuals some freedom to get forward, and for continuity's sake I'd go with the same first eleven that has beaten Blackburn and United.

KEY BATTLES

KOMPANY/LESCOTT vs COLE - If Cole plays well, he can be a difficult opponent. My main concern is whether the big striker will drift out to the left or right and pressure the likes of Kolarov or Zaba, attacking the far post from diagonal crosses - if this is the case, the City midfielders must try to stop these crosses at the source.

KOLAROV vs SEARS - Sears did well against Ashley Cole last week, using his pace and movement to good effect. Kolarov hasn't impressed defensively, so this could be a problem for City if Sears is able to get plenty of possession.

DE JONG vs BA - The impressive Demba Ba has been one of the bright spots in West Ham's season, and although he is a striker, much of his play occurs in the spaces and channels around Carlton Cole - De Jong will need to be alert, because Ba is a quick, clever player on his day.

BARRY vs HITZLSPERGER - the two former Villa team-mates will go head-to-head, both doing a similar job for their teams. Hitzlsperger is reknowned for his powerful shooting ability from distance, so this will need attention, and Barry needs a good game if he wishes to keep his place - Milner will be desperate to stake a claim for the remaining fixtures.

YAYA vs KOVAC - If Yaya is up for it, there are few midfielder who can live with his power and penetration. The Ivorian has tended to go missing in certain games, but recently he's looked like the one player in City's team who can really break down a stubborn defence. He also looks quite effective as an auxiliary centre-forward, especially alongside Balotelli.

AJ vs GABBIDON - With Wayne Bridge ineligible, Gabbidon will likely face up to AJ for this game. AJ should have the measure of the makeshift left-back if he can get plenty of the ball, but he needs to focus - it was notable against Rovers that the winger drifted out of the game too much, and his final ball can be lacking.

SILVA vs JACOBSEN - The West Ham right back looks a decent player, with pace and good quality on the ball. Silva should be able to bypass him, instead using the space between full-back and central defender. I've been impressed with Silva's willingness to get stuck in and track-back in addition to his more usual qualities, and he may need some of these attributes for this game.

BALOTELLI vs DA COSTA/TOMPKINS(UPSON) - Mario has all the tools to do well against a poor Hammers defence, and I'd expect him to cause havoc (in the right way, of course). Goalkeeper Rob Green can be difficult to beat on his day, though.

~BLOOVIC~