West Ham vs. Manchester City: In-form League Leaders Face Crucial Test Against David Moyes's Side

May 14, 2022
Benson Chikezie

English Premier League 2021/2022
Matchday 37
Olympic Stadium, London

West Ham West Ham
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00 Hr
00 Min
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Manchester City Manchester City

City appear to be cruising towards another EPL title but face a stern test of their champion’s mettle when they travel to West Ham for a crunch clash on May 15. The match will kick off at 18:30 IST, and if City can win, they would need only one point to be crowned champions on Matchday 38.

The Hammers have already stopped City from scoring this season, although in the EFL Cup, and will look to repeat the heroics that helped them record a penalty shootout victory over Manchester City. After putting five goals past Wolves in midweek, City made it five goals in a match in three of their last four Premier League games. Can West Ham United stop Guardiola’s men from scoring?

Teams Status

West Ham Form and Team News

The Hammers snapped a four-match losing run in all competitions to out four past an already-relegated Norwich City side. Moyes’s men can now turn to sealing their place in the Europa Conference League next season (they need only one point) or leapfrogging Manchester United to clinch the Europa League ticket.

Winning against this City side looks like an uphill task, with their last win in regular time coming in 2015. Their clean sheet against City in the EFL Cup in October was the first in twenty H2H matches, and a poor home record in recent weeks (one win, two draws, two losses, and no clean sheets) is another discouraging statistic. 

Angelo Ogbonna remains injured, while Mohammed Said Benrahma, Michail Antonio, and Craig Dawson are doubtful to feature come Manchester City’s visit.

Manchester City Form and Team News

With at least three goals in each of their last five matches and five in three of their previous four, Manchester City have taken goalscoring to another level this season. Their 5-1 win against Wolves was the 11th time they put five goals past a team this season, and talisman Kevin de Bruyne scored four goals to hit 19 goals for the season.

City only need four points to be crowned champions, but if Liverpool fail to win on Tuesday, they can clinch the title if they win at West Ham. They are on a massive unbeaten run away from home, the best in their history, with fourteen wins and three draws.

Although his team is in fine goalscoring form, Guardiola will be worried over the lack of defensive options, as the team will go into this match without Ruben Dias, John Stones, and Kyle Walker, who are injured. City are also sweating over the fitness of Aymeric Laporte and Fernandinho, who picked up knocks in midweek.

What Do the Sportsbooks Say?

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Manchester City are strong favorites to win this match, even though they play away from home. Their strong away record and excellent form give them the advantage, and a win for City is available at 1.4 odds on the Paripesa sportsbook, 1.38 odds on Sportsbet.io, and 1.4 odds on Melbet.

The Hammers are outsiders in this encounter, with a win for them placed at 8.3 odds on Paripesa, 8.00 odds on Sportsbet.io, and 8.3 odds on Melbet. On the three sportsbooks, the odds for a draw are at 5.45, 5.00, and 5.46, respectively.


Tipster’s Angle

West Ham have been unconvincing at home in recent weeks, failing to keep a clean sheet in five consecutive home matches and losing back-to-back meetings after a great run of eight unbeaten games. 

Manchester City have an excellent away form with 17 unbeaten matches and have been scoring goals for fun in recent games. They will be desperate to seal the win and move one step closer to the title, but West Ham will seek to exploit their defensive challenges. Here are our thoughts on this fixture: 

Tip: Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.57

Manchester City’s goalscoring has turned up a notch at the business end of the season, scoring at least three goals per game in their last five matches. The Hammers put four past Norwich last time, and they will probe City’s ‘weakened’ backline all game. We expect over two goals in this encounter, and the outcome for over 2.5 goals is available on Parimatch at 1.57 odds.

Tip: Manchester City to Win Either Half @ 1.22

The away side have not lost on the road in 17 matches and are presently playing their best football this season. We expect them to come out on top in at least one half of this encounter as they look to secure their only silverware of the campaign and a fourth Premier League title in five years. City to win either half is available on the Paripesa sportsbook at 1.22 odds.

Conclusion

Manchester City are in imperious form lately but face a stern test at the Olympic Stadium against a team that have already stopped them from scoring this season. We expect a highly entertaining match as City take on West Ham. 

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