West Ham v Manchester City
15:00
Man City swept Crystal Palace aside in the FA Cup at the weekend, but their league form has been mixed: they’ve gone W2-D1-L2 since Christmas, and they’ve lost three of their last four away. The West Ham side they face this weekend secured a win against Middlesbrough last time out, but they will be hard pressed to record a similar scoreline against the league’s fifth-placed team, especially given that Andy Carroll (who has scored three in his last two) could potentially miss the match with a groin strain.
West Ham’s main concern will be their poor recent record against top-six sides: they’ve lost five of the seven they’ve played against top opposition this season, although only two of those have been at home, and they’ve scored in four of the last five such games, so they should feel confident of getting on the board. That said, Man City did beat West Ham 5-0 at the London Stadium in early January and prior to their loss against Everton had lost only once away against middle-third opposition in their last seven attempts, so they’ll be in a confident mood, especially given that they’ve lost just once in their last eight visits to West Ham.
Man City should take the victory in this one, but West Ham have scored in six of the last seven games they’ve played at home against top-six outfits – even if Carroll is absent, the arrival of Robert Snodgrass gives them a good chance of scoring. 2.9 looks long for Man City to win and Both to Score.
