West Ham walked away with a huge win the last time these teams played. Can Manchester City get back on the winning side at the Etihad? (Getty)
The clock is ticking on Manchester City’s season and possibly even Manuel Pellegrini’s reign. The Sky Blues have fallen off the map as of late, losing three of their last four matches, including a 4-2 loss to rivals United last weekend. All of a sudden City are left competing just to stay in fourth place ahead of Liverpool and Southampton.
West Ham don’t have as big of stakes, with their season likely locked outside of the top seven, but that’s not entirely a bad thing. If the Hammers can finish inside the top half of the table, it will be their best finish since getting promoted back into the Premier League back in 2012. They currently sit in ninth place, but at four points below Swansea, still have a shot at the eighth spot, which would be West Ham’s best finish in the top flight since the 2001-02 season.
While City’s struggles have been put to light in almost every media outlet, West Ham haven’t been doing all that well lately either with only one win in their last 10 league matches. That’s not good enough. To make matters worse for this match, the Hammers just have four points from their last eight road matches.
While West Ham escaped with a win the last time these two clubs played back on October 25, it’s hard to see them pulling off the same feat at Etihad Stadium. In Manchester City’s last three home matches, they have three wins by a scoreline of 10-0.
Here’s what you need to know about this match:
The Basics
Who:
What:
English Premier League Gameweek 33
When:
Sunday, April 19
Where:
Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
Time:
8:30 a.m. Eastern Time
1:30 p.m. local time
Channel:
NBCSN (US) / Sky Sports 1(UK) (International viewers, click here for your local provider)
Odds:
Manchester City 1/4, West Ham 10/1, Draw 11/2; bet365
Manchester City -1.5 (-141), West Ham +1.5 (+126), Draw +555, Over 3 (-138)/Under 3 (+123); 5Dimes
Prediction:
Based on the facts stated above, West Ham just isn’t playing well enough right now. While Manchester City isn’t playing great, they are at a critical point in their season where they need points and this is a team that can get a win because of that. Manchester City 3-1.
Stats You Need to Know
Scouting Manchester City
Record: 18-7-7, 4th (61 points)
Coach: Manuel Pellegrini, 2nd season
Goals Per Game: 2.03
Clean Sheets: 10
Leading Goal Scorer: Sergio Aguero, 19
Assist Leader: Jesus Navas, 7
Card Leader: Vincent Kompany, 7 yellow cards
Scouting West Ham
Record: 11-10-11, 9th (43 points)
Coach: Sam Allardyce, 4th season
Goals Per Game: 1.31
Clean Sheets: 10
Leading Goal Scorer: Diafra Sakho, 10
Assist Leader: Stewart Downing, 8
Card Leader: Winston Reid, 9 yellows
