Manchester City – West Ham : Preview & Prediction
Manchester City beat Fulham 2-1 on Sunday, a game in which Erling Haaland scored his 50th official goal of the season – the first player to accomplish this feat in England since 1931. At the time, Man City were beginning an eight-game winless streak against West Ham United, but these days things are different as they have lost just one of the last 16 meetings between them (G13, E3).
Last week’s potential Premier League (PL) title decider, which ended in a 4-1 win over Arsenal, was the Citizens’ seventh consecutive home win in the league, with the last three of those seeing them score at least three goals. But West Ham have proven to be an opponent to be reckoned with in recent times, and although Man City have won the last six meetings between them at home, none of the last five have seen them score more than twice.
Unhappy West Ham manager David Moyes could face the wrath of the FA for suggesting his side have been “disrespected” by referees recently, so heading into a tough schedule that includes games against Manchester clubs and a UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final against AZ Alkmaar, the last thing he needed was Saturday’s 4-3 defeat to Crystal Palace – their first away loss in the PL in which they scored three times.
They are still eyeing the relegation zone despite winning two of their three away league games last month (P1), but the Hammes have not been the best in that condition this season (G3, E3, P10). As such, this is another tough test for them, demonstrated by the fact that their top scorer on visits to Manchester City remains Sir Geoff Hurst with three goals.
Players to watch: Even Hurst could not match Haaland’s feat with his 50 goals in a season (his best was 40 in 1965/66), with three of the Norwegian’s last four PL goals being registered in the first 30 minutes of play. Looking to stop him will be West Ham goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański, who has kept a clean sheet in two of his last three away appearances.
Key stat: West Ham have scored five goals in their last six PL games from corner kicks.
Manchester City – West Ham : Betting Tips
Manchester City – Win Odds: 1.25
