West Ham's Fredericks confident Hammers can beat Manchester City

West Ham United right back Ryan Fredericks says his team won't sit back after sliding into the three-team Premier League drop zone last week with a 3-3 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion. Photo: Reuters

West Ham United right back Ryan Fredericks says his team won't sit back after sliding into the three-team Premier League drop zone last week with a 3-3 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion. Photo: Reuters

Published Feb 6, 2020

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LONDON – West Ham United right back Ryan Fredericks says his

team won't sit back after sliding into the three-team Premier League

drop zone last week with a 3-3 draw against Brighton and Hove

Albion. 

David Moyes' men face champions Manchester City on Sunday with

runaway league leaders Liverpool to follow in their next game. 

"We're not going to give up at all," Fredericks said. 

"We're not going to be looking just to stay in the game (against

Manchester City) and get a draw. We're more than confident that we

can go and score goals.

"That's why we're all so gutted and frustrated is because we're not

one of those teams who is trying to nick wins when we're not playing

well and that we're not good enough to beat teams."

City's Pep Guardiola all but conceded that it is Liverpool's title

this year with a nod to a reporter after his side were beaten 2-0 by

Tottenham Hotspur to trail Juergen Klopp's side by a record 22

points. 

But the Spaniard refused to criticise his players and stated that

getting goals is not one of their problems. 

"We cannot say as a team we can't score goals because we score a

lot," said Guardiola. "In this situation, the only thing we can do is

play better and maybe be mentally stronger.

"We have to accept it and work on that. I always believe in this

concept."

Bournemouth play sixth-placed Sheffield United also on Sunday in a

round split over two weekends to allow each team a fortnight off in a

winter break of sorts. 

Eddie Howe's side received a huge boost when they beat Aston Villa to

leap out of relegation trouble by two points up to 16th.  

Howe said he wants to see that determination from his side continue. 

"It was hugely important we got over the line and won the game

(against Aston Villa)," Howe said. "We don't know whether it will

define our season but it feels like a big moment now.

"When we show the work rate, passion and belief, we are a different

team. For me, that's probably the thing that's been missing." 

Brighton, who sit 15th and on the same points as Bournemouth with 26,

host second-from-bottom Watford on Saturday. 

The Seagulls' manager Graham Potter says he is content with the side

he's got to survive another year in the top flight of English

football. 

"It's the Premier League, it's supposedly the hardest competition in

the world and in nearly 120 years we've been in the top-flight for

seven years," said Potter. 

"We are where we are and sometimes we won't be successful - but we

will fight.

"I'm happy with the players we've got and I think there is enough in

the group we already have to get the points which will get us higher

up the table."

Crystal Palace travel to Everton's Goodison Park in Saturday's other

fixture. 

Manager Roy Hodgson will have a near full strength squad after

Christian Benteke, Patrick van Aanholt and Andros Townsend returned

from injury against Sheffield United. 

However, they will be without loanee forward Cenk Tosun, who is not

eligible to play against his parent club Everton.  

dpa

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