How will City bounce back from the thrashing by Real?
After a difficult Champions League week, Manchester City is back to league action. Following a 0-3 loss at Real Madrid, their next away match is in London. In the Premier League table, the Sky Blues remain in second place with 60 points—seven points behind league leaders Arsenal, who have already played one more game.
West Ham, on the other hand, sits in 18th place with 28 points, but secured a spot in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Monday. If we take a closer look at the visitors’ away games, they’ve tended to be low-scoring affairs. In just three of their 14 league matches, more than three goals were scored, which is why our West Ham vs. Manchester City prediction is for under 3.5 goals in the match.
West Ham heads into this clash with mixed results, but recently gained confidence with a 1-0 win over Fulham. This gives the Hammers the chance to secure two wins in a row for the third time this Premier League season. They already achieved this in November against Newcastle United and Burnley, followed by another winning streak in January against Tottenham Hotspur and AFC Sunderland.
However, their record against their upcoming opponent is extremely mixed: West Ham has been waiting for a Premier League win against Manchester City since a 2-1 victory in September 2015 and has failed to win in their last 20 league matches (three draws, 17 losses). West Ham struggles particularly at their home ground, the London Stadium, where they have yet to secure a win in their last ten Premier League matches against City (two draws, eight losses). In our West Ham vs. Manchester City prediction, we therefore expect another victory for Guardiola’s side.
Manchester City arrives in generally solid form. Coach Pep Guardiola’s team has lost only one of its last 17 Premier League matches—a 0-2 defeat in the derby against Manchester United in January. Also striking is the Citizens’ enormous dominance in the first halves. If only this portion of the game counted, City would already have 67 points—13 more than second-place Arsenal FC. In the second-half standings, however, the club ranks only eighth.
Against West Ham, however, the record clearly favors City. Manager Guardiola is unbeaten in 19 Premier League matches against the Hammers (17 wins, two draws), but he is suspended this time and will not be allowed to coach his team from the sidelines. Striker Erling Haaland also feels particularly at home against this opponent, as the Norwegian has already scored eleven Premier League goals against West Ham—more than against any other team.
West Ham – Manchester City Head-to-Head Record
In the head-to-head history between West Ham United and Manchester City, 124 matches have been played so far. Of these, West Ham won 37 encounters, while Manchester City was significantly more successful with 68 wins.
Additionally, 19 matches ended in a draw. The goal difference also clearly favors the team from Manchester: City has scored a total of 230 goals, while West Ham has scored 159.
West Ham – Manchester City Prediction
For the West Ham vs. Manchester City matchup, the betting odds from the top bookmakers naturally lean heavily toward the Sky Blues. The Citizens have a very strong record against the Hammers and are unbeaten in their last 20 league matches.
On top of that, Erling Haaland is in top form against the Hammers, having scored at least a brace in each of the last three matches.
West Ham, on the other hand, is still fighting relegation, but has lost only two of its last eleven competitive matches and thus appears somewhat more stable. However, their home record against Manchester City offers little hope for a better outcome—the hosts have failed to win any of their last ten Premier League matches at the London Stadium.
