Saturday Dugout Discussion

A day of six Premier League matches begins at the Etihad where fallen champions City face in-form West Ham in a match that, when planned by the Sky live broadcast team, was predicted to have some significance.

As it is, the early kick-off will take on little importance, aside from the legions of Fantasy managers who have stocked up on Carlos Tevez and other City assets, seven days prior to their double Gameweek. While some will be hoping that City put their foot the metal in a bid to rescue some pride, others will be monitoring their performance and teamsheet carefully, to decipher whether the spirit and potential for points is now broken.

That match is followed by just four three o’clock matches, with Wigan’s crucial home clash with Spurs perhaps the headline act for Fantasy managers. Again, there will be some who have invested early in the Latics ahead of Gameweek 36, desperate to see if their plight can inspire performances from the likes of Shaun Maloney and Arouna Kone. With Gareth Bale on the pitch in opposition, there will be keen interest in the DW Stadium clash.

Events are rounded off at St James’ Park for the evening kick-off, as Liverpool begin life without Luis Suarez. The match could yet take on some significance in the relegation scrap, should results go against Newcastle earlier in the day. Otherwise, it will likely serve as a gentle path into Sunday’s action for the neutral.

Our Dugout Discussion chatroom is now open and will be available throughout the day to collect your real-time recollections of the events as they unfold.

The team news from the opening game finds Roberto Mancini recall both David Silva and Sergio Aguero following recent injuries – Joleon Lescott also returns to the back four as Matija Nastasic, James Milner and Edin Dzeko all drop to the bench. West Ham are unchanged, with Mark Noble and Joe Cole handed bench roles.