Manchester City's Jesus Navas has been ruled out with a knee injury.

Sergio Aguero and Micah Richards are back in training but both are not yet ready for a first-team return.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will put Roger Johnson straight into his squad after the defender signed on loan from Wolves for the rest of the season.

They are still without a host of injured players including Winston Reid and Andy Carroll, while captain Kevin Nolan is banned.

MATCH PREVIEW

A trip to the Etihad is probably the last ground in English football that beleaguered West Ham manager Sam Allardyce would like his team to visit right now given his side's shocking run of form and appalling injury list.

The 5-0 defeat his shadow side suffered at the hands of Championship club Nottingham Forest at the weekend saw speculation increase that Allardyce was set to lose his job but in a letter to the club's supporters he received the backing, for now, from Hammers' co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan.

West Ham have never won the League Cup but the odds on them beating Manchester City over two legs of this semi-final are very long indeed. City are unstoppable at home and have scored an incredible 53 goals in 14 matches at the Etihad this season.

Allardyce will surely be hoping the best his injury-ravaged squad can do is limit the damage to give his side any hope in the second leg at Upton Park.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Manchester City have met West Ham United once in the League Cup back in 1984, beating the Hammers 2-1 in a replay at Upton Park after a goalless draw at Maine Road.
• City won the last meeting between the two clubs, away at Upton Park, 3-1 in October.
• West Ham have won only once at the Etihad Stadium, beating City in an FA Cup quarter-final tie in 2006.
• Both clubs were semi-finalists in 1964 and 2011, with West Ham losing to the eventual winners on both occasions.

Manchester City

• City have twice won the League Cup, beating West Bromwich Albion in 1970 and Newcastle United in 1976 - and were losing finalists against Wolves in 1974.
• Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko has scored in all three of City's ties so far this season.
• None of City's League Cup scorers this season have been English.
• Liverpool are the only side to beat Manchester City in a home semi-final tie in this competition - in 1981 and 2012.

West Ham United

• West Ham have been losing finalists twice in League Cup history - versus West Bromwich Albion in 1966 and Liverpool in 1981.
• The Hammers have scored nine goals in four League Cup ties, almost half the 19 goals they have scored in 20 league games.
• Hammers boss Sam Allardyce led former club Bolton to the 2004 League Cup final where they lost to Middlesbrough.