How Manchester City could line up against West Ham United

Manchester City defender Nathan Ake is in contention to return to the matchday squad for Wednesday's Premier League clash against West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium.

The 28-year-old has missed the last three games in all competitions with a hamstring injury, but he has returned to team training this week and could feature against the Hammers.

However, Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne is yet to take part in training and will need assessing after missing the 2-1 victory over Fulham on Sunday with an unspecified injury.

Manuel Akanji may operate in a makeshift left-back role for the third successive game if Ake is not deemed fully fit to start, having previously impressed against both Arsenal and Fulham, while Ruben Dias, John Stones and Kyle Walker could also retain their places in the back four.

Julian Alvarez replaced De Bruyne in the starting lineup against Fulham and scored a stunning strike from outside the area after Erling Braut Haaland notched up his 50th goal of the season. The attacking duo could start together again against West Ham, with Haaland looking to break the all-time Premier League scoring record for a single season (currently sitting level on 34 goals with Andy Cole and Alan Shearer).

Rodri and captain Ilkay Gundogan are both expected to continue in centre-midfield, while Jack Grealish is the most likely candidate to operate on the left flank, but there could be rotation on the opposite wing with Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva all battling for a starting spot.

Considering Man City's hectic fixture schedule in May, Guardiola will also consider giving minutes to the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Rico Lewis and Kalvin Phillips who have had to settle for a back-up role for some time.

Manchester City possible starting lineup: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji; Rodri, Gundogan; Foden, Alvarez, Grealish; Haaland