Fresh from a confidence-boosting draw against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Manchester City invite West Bromwich Albion to the Etihad Stadium. The Sky Blues tasted defeat in three of their last four home ties, while the Baggies are unbeaten in three road clashes.
Courtesy of two 4-0 wins, Manchester ranked joint-third for goals (eight), second for attempts (78) and top for shots inside the box (53) across their last four matches. Offering further incentive to invest in the Sky Blues’ attack, they’ve amassed nine more goals (39) than any team in home encounters. Conversely, Manuel Pellegrini’s squad have struggled to batten down the hatches on familiar soil, surrendering the tenth-most big chances (24) while managing just five clean sheets.
Underlining their paucity of attacking threat, West Brom ranked joint-bottom for attempts (33), bottom for shots inside the box (17), joint-bottom for big chances (two) and bottom for shots on target (five) across their previous four fixtures. With regards to their defensive prospects, only four teams have conceded fewer goals in away ties than the Baggies (16), which suggests that the hosts are unlikely to deliver a thrashing.
