Manchester City vs West Ham United
There’s no question that Manchester City are the best team in England at the moment, and one can definitely understand why some pundits are already ceding the Premier League as theirs.
They have one of the deepest teams in Europe, and Pep Guardiola cannot help but field outstanding squads every single time they play a football game. They have four slots lined up in their trophy cabinet, and the fans eagerly await the inclusion of the league, the FA Cup, and the Champions League to the collection.
Of course, West Ham United will be trying everything in their power to stop them. Given the way they have surprised the bookies this season, there is enough basis for the West Ham faithful to believe that the Hammers can pull off a magnificent upset.
The question that must be asked is this: can West Ham actually stop the Sky Blues from scoring goals? And do they have the ability to pull a fast one on their imposing defence?
Talking Points
A Giant-killing is possible with the Hammers
The Hammers have been in and out of the league’s top half, and the faithful fans that flock the London Stadium will tell you how close of a shave the past couple of years have been. They have flirted with relegation frequently over the past two seasons that it is understandable that many of them will approach this game with a guarded positivity.
It’s not exactly difficult to understand why the Hammers aren’t looking forward to a trip to Manchester. They have not been the most consistent team, and their Premier League 2019 results have been a mixed bag of great victories and disappointing defeats. Their inconsistent form is the only thing stopping them from reaching greater heights in the table.
However, I would like to point out to the West Ham faithful that there is enough reason to be positive coming into this match. They have pulled off impressive results against incredible opposition against clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United. They also held Liverpool, City’s biggest rival for the title, to a 1-1 draw. Their latest triumph over Fulham is also encouraging.
In order for them to pull off such a draw or a win, they need their star players to step up to the plate. Felipe Anderson has been a revelation from the wing and must step up once again. Marko Arnautovic should also be on form to bang in goals. Lukasz Fabianski must be alert to stop any Sky Blue shot attempt from going in.
Beating City is a gargantuan task for any manager, but Manuel Pellegrini must approach this game positively. The quality of his players at the London Stadium may not be up to par to the Manchester City team he handled in his 2013/14 campaign, but they can definitely take City to their limits.
It’s a game for City to lose
West Ham can definitely upset the Sky Blues if they allow them to do what they want, and it is up to Pep Guardiola’s men to stem the attacks of the men in claret.
They won a steely EFL Cup encounter against Chelsea, and the Blues showed the rest of the league ways on how to limit the Sky Blues from scoring. Moreover, the EFL Cup may have come at a cost as they lost key players to injury.
While Guardiola was delighted that they won the first of their quadruple, he admitted that the injuries Fernandinho and Aymeric Laporte sustained was going to hurt their chances in the other fronts: “the only problem is we will be without important players for the coming weeks.”
However, the Sky Blues have a wealth of talent to back them up. Nicolas Otamendi, John Stones, and Vincent Kompany can hold down the middle of the pitch while Kyle Walker is more than a capable replacement for the injured Brazilian.
More importantly, they still have their outstanding attacking core intact. The fact that they have Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, David Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne in the rotation is a testament to the monstrosity of a team that they have.
And don’t get me started on the ever-consistent Sergio Aguero.
This is honestly City’s game to lose, and the Premier League 2019 odds back them up. I will be honestly surprised if this game ends in anything but a win for them.
History
The two Premier League regulars have met a total of at least 100 times since 1924. City currently hold the better win-loss record between them with 51 games won, while the Hammers are toiling with their 33 victories. The remaining sixteen fixtures have been draws that were mostly made in West Ham’s home grounds.
The biggest bogey that is haunting West Ham at the moment is the fact that they lost 8-1 in their last two fixtures at the London Stadium. Their most recent game in November 2018 was a total embarrassment for the Hammers as they didn’t get to score any goals at all.
Betting Tip
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Manchester City vs West Ham United | 2-3 Total Goals @ 2.41 |
| February 28, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
There’s no reason to doubt that Manchester City will crush West Ham and come away with the three points. The sheer difference in quality between the two of them is just too great for the Hammers to overcome with just willpower alone.
However, I don’t think they’ll be able to score more than three goals against West Ham. Their last two games at the Etihad saw the game ending with a total of three goals made. The Hammers should be doing everything they can to be solid in the back, and there’s no reason to believe that more of the same would happen here.
This will be an interesting game to watch for SBOBET punters and the neutral footballing fan. It will be curious to see if West Ham can defy the odds and pull off another incredible result.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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