West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo is refusing to take Manchester City for granted ahead of Sunday’s crucial clash.
Big-spending City go into the game at The Hawthorns under pressure following three defeats in all competitions.
While some believe it could be a good time to face the Light Blues, Di Matteo disagrees and is expecting a tough encounter.
He said: “I think that when you have a team filled with so many quality players that can individually win the game, I don’t think you can say that it’s a good time to play them.
“For me they are going to be firing on all cylinders, that’s what I’m expecting.
“I just hope my players are going to compete against one of the best teams in the country.”
Meanwhile, the Baggies boss believes the pressure on City manager Roberto Mancini is a symptom of modern football’s ‘short-term’ culture.
No patience
He added: “There doesn’t seem to be a lot of patience in the last couple of years.
“It makes it difficult. You lose a couple of games and you’re under enormous pressure.
“Once upon a time you got a bit more time to work with players and build a team, so I guess it’s just the way things are going at the moment.
“It’s about short-term results rather than long-term targets.”
Di Matteo also believes the pressure is on all managers, not just at big-spending clubs.
He added: “I think it’s part of our job. If you lose a couple of games you’re going to be put under pressure. That happens to everyone.
“It’s not something that happens at just one club. It’s the nature of our profession.
Expectation
“Every club has its level of expectation. They are expecting as much from him as any other chairman expects from his manager.
“If I was bottom of the table you can imagine what kind of pressure I would be under. It just comes with the size of the club and the budget they have.
“It’s normal that there’s pressure on big clubs because they invest and they expect, but my chairman expects results from me.”
But Di Matteo believes his club’s position at the upper end of the Premier League table shows that money is not the only factor which contributes to success.
He added: “That’s the beauty of the game, isn’t it? That’s why so many people love football. It’s unpredictable.
“It would be boring if you looked at teams’ budgets and said ‘Okay, that club will be first, that one will be second’.”
Di Matteo gave his support for Mancini, saying: “You look at his CV and he’s one of the best managers around. That’s what I think.”
