Manchester City is currently enduring one of its toughest phases since the Abu Dhabi United Group took over. The team is struggling to bounce back from a significant slump.
Before their recent 2-0 victory over Leicester, City had only secured one win in their last 13 matches, a 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest earlier this month.
Following that, they drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace and suffered three consecutive losses: 2-0 to Juventus in the Champions League, 2-1 to Manchester United, and 2-1 to Aston Villa in the Premier League. Their win against Leicester came after a 1-1 draw with Everton on Boxing Day, leaving them in 6th place in the league.
West Ham, usually a contender for European spots, has underperformed this season, currently in 13th place, 8 points behind the top 6.
However, they’ve shown signs of improvement with a four-match unbeaten run, including victories over Wolverhampton (2-1), draws with Bournemouth (1-1) and Brighton (1-1), and a 1-0 win against Southampton on Boxing Day. Unfortunately, their momentum was disrupted by a heavy 5-0 loss to league leaders Liverpool.
Pep Guardiola is struggling with an incomplete squad, with key players like Ruben Dias, Bobb, and Rodri out, and uncertainty surrounding Kyle Walker, Nunes, Ederson, Jack Grealish, and John Stones for the upcoming match. Erling Haaland, who had a rough patch before scoring against Leicester, had only one goal in seven matches and missed a penalty against Everton.
His goal should boost his confidence. Jeremy Doku, who has scored twice, has also underperformed. Kevin De Bruyne (2 goals, 2 assists) and Bernardo Silva (2 goals, 4 assists) have experienced a dip in form, although Silva scored against Everton.
Prediction
Manchester City has tightened their defense recently, conceding just four goals in their last 21 home league games. Fourteen of those 17 matches had fewer than 3.5 goals. West Ham has shown a similar trend, with 17 of their last 21 away matches having fewer than 3.5 goals. Thus, this match is likely to feature three goals or fewer.
Prediction: Manchester City 1 – 1 West Ham.
