West Bromwich Albion vs. Manchester City: Preview, Live Stream, Start Time, More

Premier League leaders Manchester City take on West Bromwich Albion in a post-Christmas match that will surely be an exciting one to watch.

The league leaders defeated Stoke City quite comfortably on Wednesday by the score of 3-0, and with their win against Arsenal last Sunday, City appear to be past their struggles that followed the club's exit from the Champions League.

Despite scoring the second-fewest goals and allowing the third-most goals of the teams in the top 10 of the league table, West Brom are just three points away from Newcastle, who sit in seventh place.

Let's look at everything you need to know about this exciting Premier League match.

Where: The Hawthorns, Sandwell, England

Watch: Fox Soccer Channel

Live stream: Sky Go

When: Monday, Dec. 26 at 10:00 a.m. EST

Player to watch for Manchester City: Sergio Aguero

Sergio Aguero scored twice on Wednesday for Manchester City against Stoke City, and the Argentinian striker has been sensational in front of goal this season for Roberto Mancini's side.

Aguero leads City with 13 goals in Premier League play and has taken an astounding 60 shots, which also leads the club.

Aguero is a nightmare to defend anywhere on the pitch because of his accurate shooting, exceptional speed and tremendous ball control. 

He's a threat to score in every match he plays and will certainly be a player to watch on Monday.

Player to watch for West Bromwich Albion: Shane Long 

Shane Long is a quality young forward for West Bromwich Albion and leads the club with five Premier League goals.

The Young Irishman has exceptional pace and could cause problems for the Manchester City defense if he is not defended well in the final third of the pitch.

Against a team with few real attacking talents, City must make sure they stop Long from hurting them in front of goal.

Key Matchup: Aguero vs. West Brom back four

Sergio Aguero's 13 goals are tied second in the Premier League behind Arsenal's Robin van Persie, and West Brom have to contain his attacking talent if they wish to upset the league leaders and take all three points.

West Brom allowed Newcastle to score two goals in their previous league match, and will have to defend even better to slow down a player of Aguero's caliber.

Aguero has been firing on all cylinders, and you can expect City midfielder David Silva to look for Aguero to be involved in the attack from the opening whistle.

What They're Saying

The Carlos Tevez saga will continue into the January transfer window and Serie A club AC Milan has interest in the Argentinian forward but they do not have the cash to buy him on a permanent deal.

Milan want Tevez on a loan, but City manager Roberto Mancini does not want to see Tevez leave in that matter.

Via ESPN:

"

"I hope we can find a good solution for us and Carlos,'' said Mancini. "We want Carlos to come back and play football and the best solution for us is to sell him. We can't let him leave on loan.''

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Prediction: City win 3-1

Manchester City come into this match against West Brom with two consecutive clean sheets to Arsenal and Stoke City, which are two clubs who can score goals.

City will win this game not only because they will score enough, but because their defense, which is slowly improving, will carry them to victory.

If City can keep improving at the back, then they will be quite difficult to beat as the season enters the new year.

West Brom does not have any match winners capable of upsetting the league leaders, and their two-match win streak will end on Monday due to their inability to break through the City defense and score enough goals.