Ahead of their Premier League clash, Manchester City and West Ham UAE-based fans give their verdict on the game.
To gain an insight into the mindset of the fans we asked UAE fans to share with us their predictions, likely line-ups and players to watch.
Do you agree with their predictions or have they missed the mark? And what do YOU think the outcome of the game will be?
Have your say by commenting below, using #360Fans on Twitter or getting in touch via Facebook.
Tony Sutton, THE DXB HAMMERS
West Ham raised a few eyebrows at the start of last season beating Arsenal and Liverpool on the road before turning up and taking all three points off of Manchester City too. First-half goals from Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho sent the Dubai Hammers into dream land as they celebrated a win late into the night at Nelson’s Media Rotana.
This season however, it will surely be a different story. West Ham have not hit the ground running at all and have been struggling with injuries and fitness concerns to the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell, Manuel Lanzini, Dimitri Payet, Sofiane Feghouli, Andre Ayew and Andy Carroll. With so many creative and attack minded players missing we have been forced to play Enner Valencia up front and he looks to be a player desperately short of confidence, passion and desire so you have to wonder where the goals will come from.
On the flip side, City are looking like the real deal again under new manager Pep Guardiola and have scored nine goals in their last two games with Sergio Aguero looking back to his absolute best. The Argentine has been involved in eight goals in his last eight Premier League games against West Ham (scoring six) and is almost certain to carry that record on this week.
Slaven is hoping history repeats itself at @MCFC on Sunday ➡️ https://t.co/FeM45qJjGM ⚒ pic.twitter.com/eaBXmwryN5
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) August 26, 2016
The only slight glimmer of hope for us is the way Sunderland defended at the Etihad Stadium on the opening day of the season.
The Black Cats sat very deep and were just three minutes away from earning a draw – I can see West Ham lining up in the same way and trying to frustrate the hosts, with the hope of hitting them on the break or scoring from a set play.
SCORE PREDICTION: Manchester City 2-0 West Ham
LIKELY XI (4-2-3-1: Adrian, Byram, Reid, Collins, Masuaku, Noble Nordtviet Kouyate, Tore, Valencia, Antonio.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Cheikhou Kouyate – He is going to be a key player for West Ham in this game and is going to have to cover every blade of grass just to try and keep us level pegging with our opponents. If Payet or Manuel Lanzini are fit enough to make an appearance, both have the ability to make an immediate impact also.
OPPOSITION PLAYER TO FEAR: Sergio Aguero – He is without doubt the one to fear, is looking very sharp and will undoubtedly score one if not two against us. From our own side, Sam Byram is going to be facing one of his toughest tests to date and is almost guaranteed to get at least a yellow card.
FAVOURITE MEMORY OF THE FIXTURE: Last season’s win at the Etihad is an obvious stand out memory but I think most Hammers fans will agree that Dean Ashton slamming in an amazing solo effort up there to send us into the FA Cup semi-final will take some beating. Going even further back I remember being them at the old Maine Road ground in 1998 when Steve Lomas scored a late winner, also in the FA Cup!
WHERE TO WATCH: The DXB Hammers will be watching from their usual home of Nelson’s in Media Rotana.
Chris Newbould, MCFC DUBAI SUPPORTERS CLUB
This should be a fairly straightforward day at the office for City. We’ve started with a flourish under the best manager in the world and with the Hammers in the midst of an injury crisis that seems to have taken out their entire front line and half of their midfield, the weakened opposition should be there for the taking.
On top of that, Slaven Bilic’s men will be tired mentally and physically after their early Europa League exit. We should be the fresher of the two teams as we eased to victory in our mid-week Champions League qualifier.
Last season’s fixture was a bit of a shock, with the Hammers turning us over 2-1 at home (straight after they’d pulled off similar surprises against Arsenal and Liverpool), though it would be fair to say they had their share of luck, to take nothing away from a determined performance. That match was an odd one for City though, and so far the unpredictability of results under dead man walking Manuel Pellegrini seems to have now been left in the past, so I’m fairly confident.
Behind the scenes on @C1audioBravo's busy first day at #mcfc!
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 26, 2016
INSIDE CITY ➡️ https://t.co/Jd55BViPmc pic.twitter.com/EZMXOuyW9h
LIKELY XI: Bravo, Zabaleta, Stones, Otamendi, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling, Nolito, Aguero.
SCORE PREDICTION: Manchester City 3-0 West Ham
PLAYER TO WATCH: Claudio Bravo. Why? Have you been following this kerfuffle at all??? Apparently he’s great with his feet.
OPPOSITION PLAYER TO FEAR: Hard to pick as most of West Ham’s forward line appear to be crocked. They’re rumoured to be after Wilfried Bony, so an ideal situation for many City fans would be for him to travel down with us, sign up on arrival and not get on the bus back. So I’ll say Bony.
FAVOURITE MEMORY OF THE FIXTURE: I guess the 6-0 semi-final thrashing on our way to win the 2014 League Cup has to be up there, though it’s probably one most West Ham fans want to forget.
WHERE TO WATCH: The Huddle, Citymax Al Barsha, home of MCFC Dubai Supporters Club.
