MANCHESTER CITY v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SUNDAY 1 MAY 2011
CITY OF MANCHESTERSTADIUM
KICK-OFF: 4.10PM
FULL AUDIO COVERAGE - WEST HAM TV
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Introduction
• West Ham United travel to Manchester CIty knowing they face a battle to ensure Barclays Premier League survival come the season end on 22 May. The Hammers went into the weekend two points adrift of safety and will take on a resurgent home side eager to add UEFA Champions League qualification to an FA Cup final place.
• Sunday's fixture will be noticeable for the likely absence through injury of FWA Footballer of the Year winner Scott Parker - the first Hammer to claim the coveted prize since Bobby Moore in the 1963/64 season. Parker gets his award on 12 May.
• West Ham are seeking to end a run of four straight defeats - a 4-2 home loss to Manchester United on 2 April was followed by a 3-0 defeat at Bolton Wanderers last Saturday. A fortnight ago there was a 2-1 home reverse against Aston Villa and then a 3-0 defeat by Chelsea last Saturday.
• Manchester City are fourth in the standings, four points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and five adrift of Arsenal in third - although City have a game in hand on the Gunners.
• City have not lost in 13 home matches in all competitions since a 2-1 defeat by Everton in the Barclays Premier League on Monday 20 December.
• West Ham United's biggest victories over Manchester City both came in the same season - 1962/63. A 6-1 home Division One success on 18 May 1963 was preceded by victory by the same margin in the away fixture on 8 September 1962.
• City's biggest home win against the Hammers was a 4-0 triumph on 17 August 1974.
• This is the 91st meeting between the two sides. West Ham have come out on top on 35 occasions with 15 draws.
• West Ham's last league win at Manchester City came with Frederic Kanoute's 81st-minute goal on Sunday 27 April 2003 - although the Hammers were relegated at the end of the season. There was also a 2-1 away win in the FA Cup sixth round on 20 March 2006 on route to the final, thanks to Dean Ashton's double.
Last time out
Saturday 23 April 2011
Barclays Premier League
Chelsea 3-0 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, Jacobsen, Da Costa, Gabbidon, Bridge, Noble (Keane 59), Spector, Hitzlsperger, Sears (Obinna 81), Cole (Piquionne 78)
Subs not used: Boffin, Tomkins, Boa Morte, Kovac
Monday 25 April 2011
Barclays Premier League
Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Manchester City
Manchester City: Hart, Kompany, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Lescott, A Johnson (Dzeko 72), Barry, Silva (Boyata 90), De Jong, Y Toure, Balotelli (Vieira 83)
Subs not used: Taylor, Milner, Wright-Phillips, Jo
Goal: Dzeko 75
Previous meeting
Last-placed West Ham United welcomed Manchester City to east London on 11 December 2010. A goal in each half from Yaya Toure, on 30 and 73 minutes, put City in control before Adam Johnson wrapped up the win with nine minutes to play. James Tomkins forced a consolation in the 89th minute via Yaya Toure's head.
West Ham United: Green, Faubert, Tomkins, Upson, Ben Haim, Barrera (Cole 72), Parker, Spector, Stanislas (Dyer 64), Obinna, Piquionne (Hines 80)
Subs: Stech, Reid, Kovac, Boa Morte
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Kolo Toure, Boateng, Yaya Toure, De Jong, Barry, Silva (Milner 86), Balotelli (A.Johnson 61), Jo
Subs: Given, Richards, Lescott, Vieira, Santa Cruz
This fixture last season
The most recent meeting between the two sides at the City of Manchester Stadium saw City win 3-1 on 29 September 2009.
Former Hammer of the Year Carlos Tevez scored twice, with a goal in each half. Carlton Cole had equalised the first goal but Martin Petrov then struck to give the home side a 2-1 half-time lead. The teams were:
Manchester City: Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Bridge, Wright-Phillips (Santa Cruz 80), De Jong, Barry (Johnson 89), Petrov, Tevez, Bellamy
Subs: Taylor, Richards, Garrido, Sylvinho, Weiss
Goals: Tevez 5, 61, Petrov 32
West Ham United: Green, Faubert, Da Costa, Tomkins, Ilunga, Diamanti, Kovac (Stanislas 71), Parker, Noble, Jimenez (Hines 71), Cole
Subs: Kurucz, Spector, Nouble, Payne, 'Gala
Goal: Cole 24
Last six meetings
11 December 2010 - West Ham United 1-3 Manchester City
9 May 2010 - West Ham United 1-1 Manchester City
29 Sept 2009 - Manchester City 3-1 West Ham United
1 March 2009 - West Ham United 1-0 Manchester City
24 August 2008 - Manchester City 3-0 West Ham United
20 January 2008 - Manchester City 1-1 West Ham United
Overall record v Manchester City (all competitions) W 35 D 15 L 41
Background
• Carlos Tevez is City's top league scorer with 19 goals, two behind the overall leader Dimitar Berbatov. Frederic Piquionne is the Hammers leading marksman in the top-flight with six. Carlton Cole has five but eleven in all competitions.
• Joe Hart has kept more clean sheets (15) than any other player in the league this season.
• Victor Obinna and Mario Balotelli are former team-mates at Internazionale, before both headed to England last summer. Obinna scored twice on a 31 July 2010 friendly win for Inter against City in Baltimore, Maryland. The first goal came against Joe Hart, the second after the interval went in past substitute keeper Shay Given.
• Fit-again Jack Collison scored the only goal at the Boleyn Ground on the last occasion West Ham beat City on 1 March 2009.
• West Ham United have the most offsides of any team in the top flight this season (110).
• Manchester City have been awarded nine penalties this season, more than any other top-flight side, and scored eight of them.
Team news
• Wayne Bridge is ineligible for this fixture as he is on loan from Manchester City.
• Scott Parker (achilles) is a major doubt with the Footballer of the Year having also missed out last weekend against Chelsea. Mark Noble is also set to be absent for at least a fortnight after a hernia operation while Kieron Dyer has a hamstring injury.
• Gary O'Neil is out for the season at least with a serious ankle injury suffered after an hour of the match against Aston Villa a fortnight ago.
• Junior Stanislas has returned to light training after his own hernia problem.
• Central defenders Matthew Upson and Winston Reid have both been in full training this week. Upson missed out against Chelsea after a chest infection.
• Jack Collison has played four times for the reserves - including two full 90 minutes - after recovering from his knee injury and is back in the first-team picture.
• Grant is still without long-term absentee Peter Kurucz (knee) and Junior Stanislas (hernia) while Jordan Spence (Bristol City), Frank Nouble (Charlton Athletic) and Olly Lee (Dagenham and Redbridge) are out on loan. Herita Ilunga is not in the 25-man squad.
• City will be without former Hammer of the Year winner Carlos Tevez because of a torn hamstring. Micah Richards is also out with a similar problem.
• Jerome Boateng is set to be another absentee with a knee problem while Shay Given will not figure again this season with a shoulder injury.
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)
2000/01 Premier League 15th (42 points)
Manchester City
2009/10 Premier League 5th (67 points)
2008/09 Premier League 10th (50 points)
2007/08 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2006/07 Premier League 14th (42 points)
2005/06 Premier League 15th (43 points)
2004/05 Premier League 8th (52 points)
2003/04 Premier League 16th (41 points)
2002/03 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2001/02 Championship 1st (99 points - promoted to Premier League)
2000/01 Premier League 18th (34 points - relegated to Championship)
Referee
• Sunday's referee will be Howard Webb, who last took charge of a Hammers game with the 3-1 aet defeat by Birmingham City in the Carling Cup semi-final second-leg game on 26 January. His last City fixture was their 5-0 home win against Sunderland in the Barclays Premier League on 3 April.
• He took charge of the 2010 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Netherlands in South Africa.
• Webb began officiating in Yorkshire in 1989. He took charge of his first Barclays Premier League match as a referee in October 2003 and has since been the man-in-the-middle for a host of high-profile fixtures.
• Webb also refereed the 2005 FA Community Shield, 2006 FA Trophy final and 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, as well as taking charge of his first UEFA Champions League match in 2006. The former police officer was referee for the 2007 Carling Cup final and was selected as England's representative at Euro 2008, taking charge of the first match of the tournament between Austria and Poland and the Group D fixture between Greece and eventual champions Spain.
Old boys
• Former Hammer of the Year Carlos Tevez, who left the Boleyn Ground to join City's great cross-town rivals Manchester United at the end of the 2006/07 season, is out with an injury, having been suspended for the Boleyn Ground fixture in December. He joined the blue half of the city for an undisclosed fee in June 2009.
• Other famous faces to have played for both clubs are Craig Bellamy - on loan at Cardiff City - Ian Bishop, James Cumming, Justin Fashanu, Kevin Horlock, David James, Patrick Leonard, Steve Lomas, Trevor Morley, John Payne, Stuart Pearce, Trevor Sinclair, Paulo Wanchope and Mark Ward.
General information
• For ticket information, click here.
• Sunday afternoon's forecast in Manchester is for a sunny day with a maximum temperature of 17 degrees although it could turn overcast by the evening.