Premier League summit is within Citizens’ grasp

Pep Guardiola heaped praise on his tonight’s opponent Sam Allardyce for his ability to lead relegation-threatened teams to Premier League safety, but make no mistake – the meeting of West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City is much more about the title than about survival. If Guardiola’s side manages a win, they will reach the summit of the table for the first time since the season kicked off.

A slow start by the Sky Blues’ standards left the Citizens hovering around the fifth spot for months, but their recent strong run, combined with the Liverpool’s unexpected poor results, has seen them climb the standings steadily. Now they can smell the top and the only obstacle is West Brom and it’s the only team Pep Guardiola wants his players to focus on.

“The best advice is to focus on the next one. Now it's not about Sheffield United or Burnley, but West Brom. This is the only concern. Focus on what's in front of you - this is the only way. I never ask the players to win four, five or six games in a row. Just win the next one and after that we'll see how many we can win.”

Although City can go top tonight, they could be replaced by United the next day, if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team can get all three points against Sheffield United at Old Trafford. Still, City have a game in hand and reaching the top – even if it’s just for a day – would mean a lot to the team.

However, West Bromwich Albion are not going to let their visitors take the points without a fight. Their boss Big Sam has been labelled a genius by his counterpart for a good reason. The Baggies can’t afford to give up on any game and must be looking to snatch a point or three against any opposition. Their manager’s most urgent task is to improve defensive record.

“The big question that lies with the team at the moment is can we stop conceding goals. “We’ll always try to be creative in attacking areas, but we also need to be more ruthless in terms of our own defending as a team. We need to start coming off the pitch from games where we haven’t conceded a goal. That’s the ongoing process.”

Meanwhile, under-pressure Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce will try to halt his team’s slide down the table when Marcelo Bielsa brings his Leeds United to St. James’ Park. The reverse fixture in mid-December saw Leeds get cruel on the Magpies in an entertaining 5-2 win.

PREMIER LEAGUE – Matchday 20

Tuesday

21.00: (3.50) Newcastle (3.45) Leeds (2.10)

21.00: (2.90) Crystal Palace (3.10) West Ham (2.55)

23.15: (3.20) Southampton (3.35) Arsenal (2.25)

23.15: (11.0) WBA (6.25) Man City (1.26)

Wednesday

21.00: (3.50) Burnley (3.35) Aston Villa (2.15)

21.00: (1.72) Chelsea (3.60) Wolverhampton (5.10)

22.30: (2.15) Brighton (3.10) Fulham (3.80)

23.15: (2.75) Everton (3.05) Leicester (2.75)

23.15: (1.33) Man Utd (5.00) Sheffield Utd (10.0)

Thursday

23.00: (3.05) Tottenham (3.35) Liverpool (2.35)

*** odds are subject to change