Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson believes Manchester City could find themselves under pressure from set-pieces if they are forced to deploy a makeshift defence against West Ham United.
City, who reopened their three-point lead at the top of the Premier League table on Wednesday night with a thumping 5-1 win over Wolves at Molineux, will travel to the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon looking to record a third successive victory. A win will put them on the brink of retaining their crown.
However, manager Pep Guardiola faces something of a defensive crisis ahead of the trip to the capital. Both Ruben Dias and John Stones have already been ruled out for the remainder of the season and uncertainty surrounds fellow centre-back Aymeric Laporte's availability.
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The Spaniard was forced off during the second half of Wednesday's win at Wolves, as was Fernandinho, who was already filling in at centre-back, meaning Guardiola could be sweating over his central-defensive options. And with that in mind, BBC Sport pundit Lawrenson believes City could be vulnerable from set-plays if they are forced to operate with a patched-up defence against David Moyes' side.
"Fernandinho and Aymeric Laporte both got injured against Wolves so it looks like Manchester City might be missing a couple more players at the back, which makes things interesting," Lawrenson told BBC Sport. "It's not so much of a problem in open play, because we know West Ham won't have much of the ball, but if City have a makeshift defence they will have to be very careful when they defend set-pieces because the Hammers pose a real threat there.
"How they get on in those situations will be the key. It helps City that they can afford to draw here because that way they would still finish above Liverpool if they beat Aston Villa on the final day of the season.
"I actually think they will go to London Stadium and win, though. It won't be as spectacular as their 5-1 win at Molineux on Wednesday because I think West Ham will keep things tight and try to pinch it, but City's attacking power means they should edge it."
In terms of his score prediction, Lawrenson is backing City to win 2-1. Guardiola could make changes in attack, with the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus and Jack Grealish all pushing for starting berths after being named on the bench in midweek.
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