Gareth McAuley v Sergio Aguero
Whatever happens at the Hawthorns on the opening day, Gareth McAuley will be hoping he spends much more time on the pitch than the two minutes he managed at the Etihad the last time these two teams met. His wrongful sending off – as he was mistakenly dismissed following Craig Dawson’s foul on Wilfried Bony – allowed Manuel Pellegrini’s men to dominate the game, and while it finished 3-0, it could have been a lot worse as City registered 43 attempts on goal. While Sergio Aguero failed to score on that occasion, he did claim the Golden Boot and proved that he can be classed as one of the world’s best strikers. His club appear to hoping for a summer of transition, as they go after much younger names rather than the marquee buys of previous years, and his experience will be crucial to helping them put another title challenge together.
