Pulis says Manchester City are best team in Europe

LONDON: West Bromwich Albion, who have not won a Premier League game since the middle of August, will be facing the best team in Europe when they take on Manchester City on Saturday, manager Tony Pulis said.

Albion won their opening two league games, but four draws and three defeats since then have left them two points above the relegation places ahead of the league leaders' visit.

"Playing the best team in Europe at the Hawthorns is something to relish," Pulis told reporters.

"People coming to the stadium will watch a very, very good team.

"The lads should go out there and give it a really good go. We know what we’re up against.

"They’re one of those teams I think are really special."

Albion will adapt their game, he added, without offering any clues as to how they hoped to cope.

"We’ll approach it a little bit different to normal. They’ve been special this year."

Pulis agreed his own team have been disappointing in some recent games and "fallen down on things in games that we haven’t before".

Now he says it is important to "continue to believe in what you’re doing", adding, "You’re only one or two results away from it clicking.

"You’ve got to point yourself into the wind and get on with it. That breeze is blowing a bit stronger so you have to lift your head and keep walking.

"The players are as disappointed as anybody. There are areas we have to improve on."

Albion have a number of injury problems with the manager confirming that defender Craig Dawson is out for "a couple of months", while there has been a new setback for James Morrison, who has been missing with an Achilles problem for the past month.