It's an unenviable task, taking on Manchester City. But this is the duty assigned to Julen Lopetegui and his West Ham United squad, who welcome the imperious champions to the London Stadium this evening.
City have won both of their opening Premier League fixtures as they aim to win an unprecedented fifth top-flight title on the trot, and their seventh in eight campaigns.
West Ham will not be discouraged, not with a newly assembled team eager to make a significant impression and an early-season boost in the pursuit of European qualification.
Lopetegui said that City are "one of the best teams in the history of football", and likely the best that English football has seen at that. But the Hammers are ready to strike an iron blow and reannounce themselves as a divisional force after fizzling out under David Moyes last term.
West Ham team news
West Ham defeated Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night after Jarrod Bowen scored a late winner, whereas the champions have not played since breezing past Ipswich Town last weekend.
Lopetegui rang the changes after fielding unchanged starting line-ups over the opening weeks of the league season, but it is last weekend's victory over Crystal Palace that he must deviate from, setting his team up with a couple of tweaks.
Injury news is somewhat promising. Aaron Cresswell suffered a hamstring injury in midweek but the left-back would not be expected to start over Emerson Palmieri anyway.
Edson Alvarez impressed off the bench last week and played an hour vs the Cherries, but will be managed after an extended layoff and will probably not play 90 minutes. Up front, Niclas Fullkrug should earn his first starting berth in the Premier League.
Why Lopetegui should tinker vs Man City
West Ham signed Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund for a £27m fee in the summer, and while he has settled for cameos so far in the Premier League, he started against Bournemouth and impressed with his physicality, winning five duels and also placing two key passes.
The best is yet to come. Fullkrug rose to international prominence after some excellent work with Germany at Euro 2024, and while he appears to be a traditional target man, brawny, hulking, he's far more dynamic than such tropes would suggest.
Last season, indeed, he scored 16 goals and claimed ten assists, with his link-up play and versatility in his focal role even leading BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl to state: "Niclas is a playmaking attacker, very strong with his head, physically impressive, convincing in one-on-one duels and unpleasant for his opponents [to face]."
The 31-year-old, who stands at 6 foot 2, would have a tough task against City but he would be the best option for West Ham, who will need to impose themselves on the slickest side in all the land.
His brutish presence and aerial threat will be advantageous, but so too will his ability to supplement Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, whose wide overlaps could be key to victory.
You have to be realistic, and Man City's ball-playing dominance, their mastery in retention, means that West Ham will need to work overtime in the defensive third of the field.
That is why, despite Konstantinos Mavropanos' impressive start to the season, Jean-Clair Todibo must be handed his first Premier League start too, partnering Max Kilman at the rear.
Why West Ham must start Jean-Clair Todibo
Todibo endured a torrid debut, hooked at half-time against Bournemouth after looking off the pace, booked, dribbled past twice and succeeding with just one of his four attempted duels, as per Sofascore.
That is not the best yardstick to determine the summer signing's worth, who joined from OGC Nice in the summer on an initial loan deal, with an obligation to buy in 2025 for £34m.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 5% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 9% for assists and shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive passes and progressive carries, and the top 16% for tackles made per 90.
Robust. Todibo flattered to deceive in midweek but his athletic and technical properties make him the perfect defender to counter City's suffocating game, driving the ball forward and instigating fast-breaking moves to put the likes of Bowen and Kudus through on goal, or perhaps into Lucas Paqueta's feet in the centre of the park, where the Brazilian can caper his way into the penalty area.
Journalist Jack Fawcett once said that he's "notoriously trusted in man-to-man presses against Europe's elite", so there's every chance that he could rise to the occasion against City.
Mavropanos ranks among the bottom 21% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the bottom 41% for progressive passes per 90. Look below at the defenders' collated metrics from last season and you shall see Todibo's superiority and suitability within Lopetegui's system.
Matches (starts)
19 (16)
30 (30)
Goals
1
0
Assists
0
2
Clean sheets
3
14
Touches*
44.7
95.0
Pass completion
77%
90%
Key passes*
0.2
0.3
Dribbles*
0.1
0.5
Ball recoveries*
3.7
7.1
Tackles + interceptions*
2.7
3.2
Clearances
4.1
3.1
Total duels won (%)
4.4 (66%)
4.4 (59%)
Errors made
3
1
As you can see, Todibo has the better package to offer Lopetegui, and he must be unleashed against City to hand the Hammers a chance of defeating Pep Guardiola's god-like winning machine.
The aggressive centre-half has been lauded as the "complete package" by talent scout Jacek Kulig. He was signed for a reason and must be provided with a role from the outset to cause a huge upset and strip some points from the indomitable champions for the first time this term.
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