West Ham United are currently 18th in the Premier League table with just two wins from the last six top-flight matches ahead of the game vs Manchester City at the London Stadium on Saturday night. It will be interesting to see if they can produce a strong performance here and upset the odds.
Menawhile, Manchester City are pushing for the Premier League title, and they have picked up four wins from their last five Premier League matches. Pep Guardiola’s men will look to close the gap to Arsenal, and they cannot afford to drop points. They will be desperate for a victory.
Manchester City have an excellent record against West Ham United, and they will look to extend that run of form with a win here. It will be interesting to see if they can get the job done on the road and continue their push for the Premier League title. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Lukasz Fabianski will miss out due to a lower back injury, and Crysencio Summerville has a calf problem. However, there is some positive news for Nuno Espirito Santo, as Oliver Scarles and Adama Traore have shrugged off knocks to be fit and available this weekend.
West Ham United will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Manchester City, with Mads Hermansen in goal. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Meanwhile, Konstantinos Mavropanos will pair up with Axel Disasi at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Tomas Soucek will start alongside Soungoutou Magassa in the souble pivot. They will look to add defensive cover and physicality to the midfield. Mateus Fernandes will start as the attacking midfielder here, and he will look to create goal-scoring chances for his teammates.
Jarrod Bowen and Adama Traore will add creativity, flair, and goals from the flanks, with the latter deputising for the injured Summerville. Finally, Taty Castellanos will lead the line for West Ham United vs Manchester City on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf; Soucek, Magassa; Bowen, Fernandes, Traore; Castellanos
Rico Lewis (ankle), Mateo Kovacic (ankle), and Josko Gvardiol (calf) are ruled out for the away side. Otherwise, Pep Guardiola has a full-strength squad for the Premier League clash this weekend.
Manchester City will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs West Ham United, with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly will start as the full-backs. They will keep things tight at the back and help out in the final third. Meanwhile, Ruben Dias and Marc Guehi will form the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Rodri will reprise the defensive midfield role, looking to control the tempo and provide defensive cover, with Tijjani Reijnders adding drive and creativity alongside him.
Bernardo Silva will add creativity from the attacking midfield role. Phil Foden and Antoine Semenyo will add flair and goals from the flanks, with Erling Haaland leading the line for Manchester City vs West Ham this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, O’Reilly; Rodri, Reijnders; Foden, Silva, Semenyo; Haaland
The Norwegian striker has been hit and miss this season, but he will look to punish West Ham United with his goalscoring ability and link-up player. Haaland is the Premier League’s top scorer, and he has produced some important assists as well.
Meanwhile, Haaland has scored more Premier League goals against West Ham than any other opponent (11). He has netted at least twice in his last three against the Hammers, and only Michael Owen against Newcastle United (1998-2001) and Harry Kane against Everton (2017-2018) have scored two or more goals in four consecutive Premier League games against an opponent.
So, it is no wonder that the former Brighton & Hove Albion attacker is a captaincy candidate in FPL for Gameweek 30. West Ham have been quite poor defensively, conceding 54 goals in 29 League matches. They will struggle to keep the Norwegian quiet here, and Manchester City will hope that he can make a defining impact in the final third.
The home team will be desperate to pick up points here and secure safety in the Premier League. They will look to put up a strong fight here, but the gulf in class between the two teams is quite significant. Manchester City are a far better side, and they have an excellent record against West Ham.
The visitors have done well against West Ham as well. They are likely to grind out a positive result here. Both teams are likely to get the score sheet, but Manchester City should be able to come away with all three points. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.
