City defender Otamendi eyes revenge win over West Ham

REUTERS – Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi said he was confident his team will not be caught out again by West Ham United as they bid to for a season defining victory at Upton Park on Saturday.

Sixth-placed West Ham handed City their first defeat of the Premier League campaign in September when the Londoners grabbed a surprise 2-1 win in Manchester.

“That was very disappointing and we weren’t at our best,” Otamendi told the club’s website (www.mcfc.co.uk).

“They took the game to us early on and played well. We came back into it but by the time we started playing, we were already 2-0 down and we couldn’t find a way back.

“They have played really well away from home and have got impressive results so we know they are where they are in the table on merit – but we will go there confident and aim to win.”

Victory would give City back-to-back league wins for the first time since October and could send them top of the table.

The Citizens are third in the standings, a point behind Arsenal, who face Chelsea on Sunday, and Leicester City, who host Stoke on Saturday.

“The game against West Ham will be very important for us because we are in the title race, fighting game by game, and we need to reach a consistency with a series of wins,” the Argentine defender said.

“We know it won’t be easy because they are a good side with some very good players, many of whom are in a good moment. I hope we work well as a team and get all the three points as these are the type of games that define champions.”

(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru. Editing by Patrick Johnston)