Stuart Brennan: Guardiola wary of Declan Rice ahead of League Cup clash
Pep Guardiola is a big admirer of West Ham ace Declan Rice and is wary of him, Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell, according to Manchester Evening News’ Stuart Brennan.
The Hammers host Manchester City on Wednesday in the League Cup round of 16, and the journalist – M.E.N’s Chief Manchester City writer – has given Football.London a low down of some of the things to expect.
Brennan insists the Premier League defending champions will be particularly keeping an eye on the aforementioned trio as they look to progress to the quarter-finals.
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Having won the last four League Cup titles, Man City want to make it five in a row, but Guardiola knows West Ham will be keen to wreck his dreams of winning the domestic treble.
Antonio cannot stop scoring at the moment, and any manager in the world will have a serious headache figuring out exactly how to stop him.
The Jamaican international hitman bullied Tottenham Hotspur defenders at will at the weekend, and their City counterparts could be in for a long night.
Rice has been tipped by many to eventually succeed Fernandinho at the Etihad Stadium, and Wednesday clash could be another audition.
The Brazilian veteran could be featuring against West Ham, and an exciting midfield battle could be on the cards.
According to Brennan, Man City were keen on Aaron Cresswell in the past, and the left-back surely wants to show them what they missed out on.
He is eyeing a place in the star-studded England defence ahead of the World Cup, and impressing in such a game will definitely do his chances some good.
A classic could be witnessed at the London Stadium on Wednesday, and predicting the winner is tough.
In other West Ham news, Trevor Sinclair has made Hammers ace transfer admission after Alex Ferguson left shell-shocked.
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