Manchester City vs West Brom team news: Manuel Pellegrini makes seven changes as Frank Lampard and Wilfried Bony start
City are in danger of falling out of the title race and crashed out of the Champions League during the week
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Your support makes all the difference.Manuel Pellegrini has heavily rotated his squad after making seven changes to the starting line-up that lost to Barcelona in mid-week for the Premier League visit of West Brom.
City’s season looks to be coming off the rails at a crucial stage after they were eliminated from the Champions League on Wednesday night, where Joe Hart’s heroics in goal limited Barcelona to just a 1-0 victory.
Hart is one of just four players to keep his place along with captain Vincent Kompany, midfielder David Silva and striker Sergio Aguero, with Yaya Toure ruled out of the game with a groin injury.
Kompany will be partnered by Eliquim Mangala in defence, with Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy coming into the back-four as Bacary Sagna and Martin Demichelis drop to the bench. Aleksandar Kolarov misses out altogether.
In midfield, James Milner is replaced by Jesus Navas, while Frank Lampard gets a rare start in place of Toure and Fernando comes in for Fernandinho. Pellegrini has also reverted to playing two strikers in attack, meaning that January signing Wilfried Bony is handed just his second start in place of Samir Nasri.
For West Brom, their attempt to survive Premier League relegation received a welcome boost with the 1-0 win over Stoke last weekend, and Tony Pulis makes three changes to his starting line-up.
Goalkeeper Ben Foster has been ruled out for up to a month with a knee injury sustained last week, so Boaz Myhill starts between the sticks. The Baggies are also without captain Chris Brunt, with Brown Ideye also absent from the side, so Chris Baird and Jonas Olsson both come into the line-up. Joleon Lescott starts in defence against his former side.
Line-ups:
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Mangala, Clichy, Navas, Fernando, Lampard, Silva, Bony, Aguero
Subs: Caballero, Sagna, Demichelis, Milner, Fernandinho, Jovetic, Dzeko
West Brom: Myhill, Dawson, McAuley, Olsson, Lescott, Baird, Morrison, Gardner, Fletcher, Sessegnon, Berahino
Subs: Rose, Wisdom, Davidson, Pocognoli, Mulumbu, Nabi, Anichebe
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