Man City vs West Ham preview, prediction, team news, and head-to-head

Pep Guardiola's City side have picked up form at the best time, reeling off win after win as they keep the pressure on leaders Arsenal, who have a two-point lead at the top.

West Ham are in a relegation battle, and a trip to the Etihad is probably the last thing the Hammers want at this moment.

After an untimely slip-up against Newcastle, City have picked up serious steam in the past few weeks, chalking up four wins in a row.

There were some rollercoaster moments, particularly in the pulsating 5-4 win over Fulham, where they were 5-1 up at Craven Cottage, and they were nearly pegged back.

Guardiola’s charges, though, are used to embarking on long Premier League unbeaten runs in pursuit of the title. For example, en route to lifting the league in 2024, City went unbeaten after beating Luton 2-1 in December.

Meanwhile, West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has tried to steady the ship over the past few months, and the Hammers looked to have turned a corner with back-to-back wins against Newcastle and Burnley last month.

However, results have reverted to the mean, and they are now winless in 5 games (L2, D3). They produced a spirited performance against Aston Villa last weekend and took the lead twice before succumbing to defeat.

City have been utterly dominant in this fixture, winning the last 5 meetings.

West Ham's last three trips to the Etihad have resulted in 10 goals conceded, and a similar pattern could follow.

City have no fresh injury concerns. Rodri (hamstring) is still a few weeks away from a return, while John Stones remains unavailable.

Meanwhile, Oliver Scarles has been recovering from a shoulder injury, and he’s been earmarked for a return to action, but other than that, the Hammers have a clean bill of health

Manchester City: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Silva, Gonzalez, Reijnders, Foden, Cherki, Haaland

West Ham: Areola, Mavropanos, Kilman, Todibo, Diouf, Wan-Bissaka, Fernandes, Potts, Paqueta, Bowen, Summerville

City have scored at least three times in each of their past five outings against West Ham, and with Haaland in incredible form, we expect to see a few goals.

• Erling Haaland anytime goalscorer

• Over 3.5 goals