Preview: Manchester City vs. West Ham United - prediction, team news, lineups

Having ended 2024 arsenic they mean to statesman 2025, Manchester City endeavour to proceed their Premier League revival successful Saturday afternoon's location brushwood with West Ham United astatine the Etihad.

The reigning champions ended a topsy-turvy calendar twelvemonth by seeing disconnected Leicester City 2-0, respective hours earlier their visitors were obliterated 5-0 astatine location by rampant leaders Liverpool.

Match preview

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Christmas cheer whitethorn person been successful abbreviated proviso connected the bluish fractional of Manchester, but determination was crushed for Pep Guardiola to observe a momentous juncture astatine the King Power Stadium, wherever his 500th crippled successful complaint of Man City ended successful a long-overdue victory.

Savinho's maiden Premier League extremity and a second-half header from Erling Haaland were capable to spot disconnected Ruud van Nistelrooy's Foxes, who were the victims of Man City's archetypal triumph successful 5 matches crossed each competitions and their archetypal distant occurrence successful implicit 2 months.

The champions-in-crisis had endured a chastening eight-game winless tally connected the roadworthy anterior to their King Power triumph - losing 7 of those encounters - but conscionable a 2nd triumph successful 14 matches successful each tournaments has lifted Guardiola's men backmost into the apical six of the Premier League table.

However, the Catalan manager has already extinguished anticipation of an epic rubric comeback portion Man City person enactment to bash to adjacent clasp their Champions League presumption for 2025-26, but a New Year seldom brings thing different than 3 points for Saturday's hosts.

Indeed, the Citizens person prevailed successful each of their past 12 opening league games of a calendar twelvemonth since being stunned by Southampton successful 2012, and from Guardiola's 8 Premier League location matches against West Ham, his broadside person triumphed successful each 8 of them.

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Failing to march to triumph successful immoderate of their past 18 Premier League matches against Man City, West Ham could commencement 2025 by penning an unwanted section of nine history; they person ne'er suffered a 19-game streak without a league triumph against a peculiar opponent.

The Irons besides went 18 games without triumph against Liverpool backmost successful the precocious 20th century, and the Merseyside giants coincidentally made highly airy enactment of Julen Lopetegui's men connected December 29, arsenic 5 antithetic scorers got successful connected the act.

Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold each contributed to the hammering of the Hammers, whose four-game unbeaten tally came to an extremity successful humiliating fashion, though they inactive person a steadfast eight-point buffer to the relegation zone.

However, the visitors' five-goal thumping astatine the hands of the league leaders means that they conceded the astir Premier League goals of immoderate squad successful 2024 (79), and speaking of breachable backlines, West Ham person not kept a cleanable expanse successful immoderate of their past 24 Premier League games versus Man City.

The lone clip West Ham person gone 25 league games without a shut-out against a peculiar hostile was against Sunderland successful a 45-year spell from 1923 to 1968, earlier annihilating the Black Cats 8-0 to extremity the sequence; for each of Man City's issues this season, a repetition of that eight-goal extravaganza astatine the Etihad is surely conscionable a far-fetched fantasy.

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City signifier (all competitions):

West Ham United Premier League form:

Team News

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Three outs and 3 doubts is the concern successful the Man City aesculapian country astatine the moment, arsenic Guardiola is guaranteed to beryllium missing Rodri (ACL), Oscar Bobb (leg) and Ruben Dias (muscle) for the sojourn of the Irons.

None of Matheus Nunes (unspecified), John Stones (foot) oregon Ederson (unspecified) has been ruled retired conscionable yet, though, and the Citizens besides had Kyle Walker backmost from unwellness astatine the King Power Stadium, wherever helium replaced Nathan Ake for the last 20 minutes.

With Salford City to travel successful the FA Cup connected January 11, Guardiola should instrumentality with his strongest imaginable broadside earlier making a plethora of changes successful that third-round match, meaning nary respite for the revived Haaland up beforehand conscionable yet.

As for West Ham, superior wounded was added to insult successful their caller nonaccomplishment to Liverpool, wherever Jarrod Bowen was substituted with what is present confirmed to beryllium a ft fracture, ruling him retired of enactment for the foreseeable future.

In brighter and highly reassuring news, Michail Antonio has been discharged from infirmary a fewer weeks connected from his horrific car accident, but it volition beryllium immoderate clip earlier helium is fixed the greenish airy to play again; Niclas Fullkrug should truthful spearhead the visitors' attack.

Lopetegui tin besides telephone upon Tomas Soucek and Guido Rodriguez erstwhile again pursuing their respective suspensions, but Lukasz Fabianski remains retired with the concussion helium sustained successful the triumph implicit Southampton.

Manchester City imaginable starting lineup:
Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic; Foden, Silva, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland

We say: Manchester City 3-0 West Ham United

Bowen's lack deprives West Ham of their rule attacking menace distant from home, arsenic the ex-Hull City antheral has registered 16 combined goals and assists successful Premier League distant games since the commencement of past season; nary of his teammates has contributed much than eight.

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