DomainJava.com – Manchester City vs West Ham prediction in Premier League match, Having ended 2024 as they intended to start 2025, Manchester City will be looking to continue their Premier League revival in Saturday afternoon's home clash with West Ham United at the Etihad.
The reigning champions ended a tumultuous calendar year by beating Leicester City 2-0, hours before their visitors were thrashed 5-0 at home by leaders Liverpool.
Christmas cheer may have been in short supply on the blue side of Manchester, but there was reason for Pep Guardiola to celebrate the momentous occasion at the King Power Stadium, where his 500th game in charge of Man City ended with a long-awaited victory.
Savinho's first Premier League goal and Erling Haaland's second-half header were enough to see off Ruud van Nistelrooy's Foxes, who fell victim to Man City's first win in five games in all competitions and their first away win in more than two months.
The crisis-ridden champions had gone eight games without a win at home before their win at the King Power – losing seven of those encounters – but just a second win in 14 games across all tournaments has lifted Guardiola's men back into the top six of the Premier League table. .
However, the Catalan coach has extinguished hopes of another title triumph while Man City will have to work hard to retain their Champions League status for 2025-26, but the New Year rarely brings anything other than three points for Saturday's hosts.
Indeed, the Citizens have won each of their last 12 opening league games in a calendar year since being beaten by Southampton in 2012, and of Guardiola's eight Premier League home games against West Ham, his side have won all eight of them. .
Failing to achieve victory in any of their last 18 Premier League games against Man City, West Ham could start 2025 by writing an unwanted chapter in the club's history; they have never gone 19 games in a row without a league win against a particular opponent.
The Irons also went 18 games without a win against Liverpool at the end of the 20th century, and the Merseyside giants coincidentally made very easy work of Julen Lopetegui's side on December 29, when five different goalscorers came into play.
Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold all contributed to the crushing defeat of the Hammers, whose four-game unbeaten run ended in disgrace, even though they are still eight points clear of the relegation zone.
However, the five goals scored by the visitors against the league leaders means they have conceded the most Premier League goals of any team in 2024 (79), and speaking of an easy-to-break back line, West Ham are yet to keep a clean sheet in 24 League games Their last premier was against Man City.
The only time West Ham went 25 league games without conceding a goal against a particular opponent was against Sunderland in a 45-year span from 1923 to 1968, before crushing the Black Cats 8-0 to end the run; despite all Man City's problems this season, a repeat of the eight-goal binge at the Etihad is of course just a far-fetched fantasy.
Three absent players and three doubtful players is the situation in Man City's medical room at the moment, as Guardiola is certain to be missing Rodri (ACL), Oscar Bobb (leg) and Ruben Dias (muscle) to face Irons.
However, Matheus Nunes (unnamed), John Stones (foot) or Ederson (unnamed) are not confirmed to be absent, and the Citizens have also missed the ill Kyle Walker at the King Power Stadium, where he replaced Nathan Ake for the final 20 minutes.
With Salford City due to play in the FA Cup on January 11, Guardiola will have to stick with his strongest squad before making many changes in the third round tie, meaning there is no rest for Haaland who is recovering from injury.
Regarding West Ham, the serious injury was further exacerbated in their recent defeat to Liverpool, where Jarrod Bowen was substituted with what is now confirmed to be a broken leg, which rules him out of action for the immediate future.
In brighter and very reassuring news, Michail Antonio has been released from hospital weeks after his horrific car crash, but it will still be some time before he is given the green light to play again; Niclas Fullkrug must therefore spearhead the visitors' attack.
Lopetegui could also call on Tomas Soucek and Guido Rodriguez once again after their respective suspensions, but Lukasz Fabianski is still absent due to the concussion he suffered in the win over Southampton.
Manchester City vs West Ham Player Predictions
Manchester City: Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Guardiol; Kovacic; Foden, Silva, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland
West Ham : Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson; Soucek, Rodriguez; Kudus, Paqueta, Summerville; Fullkrug
SCORE PREDICTION Manchester City vs West Ham: 3-1
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