Pellegrini expects West Ham response
A weakened Hammers side were thrashed 5-0 by Championship side Nottingham Forest on Sunday, increasing the pressure on Allardyce.
West Ham are 19th in the Premier League having not won in that competition since November but Pellegrini is reading little into that form ahead of tonight’s meeting in the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final.
Pellegrini said: “They had an awful result but I don’t think they played with their best 11. They played with young players.
“I am absolutely sure tonight will be a very different game to what they played on Sunday. I think that in this job as a manager — in any club, in every part of the world — you are always under a lot of pressure.
“When the results are not the results the club wants, maybe sometimes it can be more nervous, but I think he is doing very good work in West Ham so I don’t think he will have any problems.”
Nevertheless, City, with their formidable home record, will be expected to win comfortably and take a big stride towards a place in the final.
That would put City, and Pellegrini, in clear sight of a first trophy since he took over.
With City also in contention in the Premier League and still in the Champions League and FA Cup the season has much potential, but Pellegrini is not looking too far ahead.
He said: “We are not thinking about the four trophies. We are just thinking about winning the next game we have to play. We are going to have to have a very good performance to try to win against West Ham.
“After West Ham, we will think only about Newcastle. We are not thinking about the trophies, only the present.”
In team news, winger Jesus Navas will not be risked due to a minor knee issue while Sergio Aguero, Stevan Jovetic and Jack Rodwell remain sidelined. Defender Dedryck Boyata is suspended after his sending off against Blackburn in the FA Cup.
Pellegrini has not decided which goalkeeper will play having rotated between Joe Hart and Costel Pantilimon since early November.
Hart is now re-established as first choice after his recent spell out, with Pantilimon apparently reverting to domestic cup duties.
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