Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling has to step up to the plate during David Silva's absence AFP

Manchester City host Norwich City in the Premier League on Saturday, 31 October as the Citizens look to reinstate their position at the top. The Citizens come into the game on the back of a convincing 5-1 win over Crystal Palace in the League Cup and are looking good to extend their winning run in the league.

Where to watch

Kick-off is set for 3pm GMT. Highlights of the game will be available on BBC Match of the Day at 10.25pm GMT on BBC One.

Overview

Manuel Pellegrini's side came with a game plan to stifle Manchester United when they visited Old Trafford last weekend, where keeping a clean sheet was of utmost importance for the Citizens. Their midfield pairing of Fernandinho and Fernando were able to nullify United's attacks and the whole team put in a good shift defensively to end the game at 0-0 and reclaim their position at the top.

Vincent Kompany's return will be a massive boost for the Chilean, who combined well with Nicolas Otamendi to keep the Red Devils at bay. Sergio Aguero and David Silva are still out of contention and are only expected to be available for selection after the international break. Raheem Sterling, who has been in good form, was an anonymous figure on the pitch at Old Trafford alongside Kevin de Bruyne and Wilfried Bony, but the trio have to come good if City have to get the better of Norwich in this fixture.

Meanwhile, the Canaries are a far cry from their best, having managed only two wins in their last 10 games in the league. They were also knocked out by Everton in the League Cup in midweek and a lack of goals will be the main worry for manager Alex Neil, whose primary objective would be to take Norwich as far away from the relegation zone as possible. They have scored 14 goals in their last 10 games, but their major worry is in the goals conceded column, having already shipped in 21 goals thus far, including a sizer against Newcastle.

What Managers Say

Manuel Pellegrini: "We cannot think about two seasons ago with Norwich, it's different, another team, other names, another moment. We are not thinking about Sevilla, we are thinking just about Norwich, we need to win these three points here at home, we cannot, if we want to continue to lead the table, we mustn't drop points here at home. After that, when we finish, we will see on Tuesday which are the better players to start against Sevilla, but we are not thinking about Tuesday."

Alex Neil: "I watched City against West Ham so I know exactly what they did. West Ham played well and they had a little bit of luck as well. Anything can happen, it's a one off game and it will probably all come down to how we perform on the day. But if they under perform and we play to our maximum then we can certainly get something out of the game."

Betting Odds (bwin)

  • Manchester City Win: 1.28
  • Draw: 6
  • Norwich City Win: 10.5

Team News

Manchester City

Possible XI: Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Otamendi, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Fernando; Sterling, Toure, de Bruyne; Bony

Norwich City

Possible XI: Ruddy; Martin, Bassong, Bennett, Olsson; Brady, Dorrans, Tettey, Redmond; Howson; Jerome