Man City vs West Ham: Preview, predictions and lineups
Man City can be crowned Premier League champions this Sunday when they host West Ham United on the final day of the season.
The Cityzens know a victory will guarantee a record fourth successive crown regardless of what happens in title rivals Arsenal’s clash with Everton, although Pep Guardiola’s side have the luxury of simply having to match the Gunners’ result given they are two points ahead of them at the summit. That cushion has been forged by the recent 2-0 victory over Tottenham on Tuesday night.
While few are expecting West Ham to pull off an unlikely upset at the Etihad, the Hammers do have the ability to play a crucial role in the destination of the title. However, with David Moyes’ side now unable to qualify for Europe during his final game in charge, motivation to spring a surprise may not be high.
Recent history would suggest that it will be yet another title for the all-conquering Cityzens, who have won 13 of their last 15 Premier League matches with West Ham. They haven’t dropped points at home to the Irons since 2015 and won the reverse fixture 3-1 in September.
Here is 90min’s guide to Man City’s defining clash with West Ham.
Man City vs West Ham H2H record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
Man City | West Ham |
|---|---|
Tottenham 0-2 Man City – 14/05/24 | West Ham 3-1 Luton – 11/05/24 |
Fulham 0-4 Man City – 11/05/24 | Chelsea 5-0 West Ham – 05/05/24 |
Man City 5-1 Wolves – 04/05/24 | West Ham 2-2 Liverpool – 27/04/24 |
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man City – 28/04/24 | Crystal Palace 5-2 West Ham – 21/04/24 |
Brighton 0-4 Man City – 25/04/24 | West Ham 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen – 18/04/24 |
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra |
United States | NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo |
Canada | fuboTV |
Man City may have left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with three points on Tuesday, but they also departed with some injury concerns.
Ederson was substituted during the victory due to a head injury that left him unable to see clearly and it has now been revealed that he fractured his eye socket. He won’t feature this weekend, meaning Stefan Ortega will be required after his midweek heroics.
Kevin De Bruyne was another casualty of the trip to north London, coming off in the second half due to an ankle issue. However, he is expected to be fit to feature against West Ham.
Man City predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Ortega; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Silva, De Bruyne, Foden; Haaland.
Kalvin Phillips has played his final game for the Hammers already following his disastrous loan spell in the capital. The midfielder is injured at present but would also be ineligible to face his parent club Man City.
The Irons are also without several central defenders for the trip north, with Nayef Aguerd sidelined and Konstantinos Mavropanos unable to do his former employers Arsenal any favours due to injury.
West Ham predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Coufal, Ogbonna, Zouma, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus; Antonio
For most mere mortal sides, the pressure would be on this Sunday. However, Man City have been here so may times before. Even in past years where they have made life difficult for themselves on the final day, they have still gone on to claim the trophy.
A West Ham team in poor form and with nothing left to play for should offer them little resistance, even if they do have quality attacking players capable of hurting Man City. It seems likely that it will be a fourth straight title for Guardiola’s men.
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