West Ham vs. Man City: Predicted Line-up for Premier League return

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola celebrates with the Premier league trophy on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on May 22, 2022. - Manchester City won the Premier League for the fourth time in five seasons after a pulsating title race reached a dramatic conclusion as the champions staged an incredible comeback from two goals down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 on Sunday. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) /

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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 26: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City celebrates with Bernardo Silva after scoring goal during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final Leg One match between Manchester City and Real Madrid at City of Manchester Stadium on April 26, 2022 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images) /

Whilst he may not be the first captain, the Belgian oozes authority on the pitch. A composer that dictates the game, even when he’s off, he’s off in a real good way.

There’s no way Pep drops him. Even on a bad day he has the ability to pop up and score a goal, or one defence splitting pass that saves the day.

Usually known for his assists, he managed only eight in the 21/22 season, though scored an impressive 15 goals.

Still, dubbed one of the most creative midfielders in the world, De Bruyne’s defensive contributions shouldn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated.

He made 30 Premier League appearances, winning 21 and losing three; during which he made 16 clearances, 22 blocked shots and 114 recoveries.

Kev stays! And his partner is……

Whilst personally, I would like to give the third midfield spot to Gundogan for his heroic contributions in the final title-winning game of the 21/22 season, I think Pep is likely to stick with Bernardo.

Manchester City will need his energy in midfield against West Ham and nobody runs more kilometres in a game than the little Portuguese.

Bernardo’s energy meant that he made 35 appearances, with 27 wins and two losses: scoring eight goals and assisting four.

We didn’t see much of Gundogan in preseason due to the fact he was unable to travel to the US with the rest of the squad. However, Bernardo did feature in all three preseason games.