Manchester City vs West Ham United Predictions

• Seven of West Ham’s eight league defeats have been by two goals or more this term
• Man City have won five of their last nine home games in all competitions 
• West Ham have conceded an average of 1.84 goals per game in the league
• Erling Haaland has scored 14 goals in 19 Premier League appearances this season

City back to winning ways?

December was a nightmarish month for Manchester City but they stabilised a little at the end of the year and can start 2025 with a comfortable win over West Ham.

Pep Guardiola’s men sustained defeats to Liverpool, Juventus, Manchester United and Aston Villa last month and they finished the year outside the Premier League’s top five.

But a 2-0 win away to lowly Leicester at least suggested City still have enough about them to beat the division’s lesser lights and they can make it back-to-back wins when they host West Ham.

Hammers boss Lopetegui under pressure

The Hammers have underwhelmed this season and Julen Lopetegui’s future at the club hangs in the balance following their 5-0 mauling by Liverpool on Sunday.

They have collected only 23 points from 19 matches and they have been especially poor at the back, conceding 35 goals in 19 matches – more than relegationed-threatened Ipswich and the likes of Crystal Palace and Everton below them.

Since the start of November, they have suffered heavy defeats at the hands of Nottingham Forest (3-0), Arsenal (5-2) and Leicester (3-1) and it has been a case of when it rains, it pours for the London club.

Indeed, seven of their eight league defeats this season have been by margins of two goals or more and City are worth a bet to cover the goal handicap at -1 – in other words, a wager on City to win by two goals or more.

West Ham struggling at both ends of the pitch

The centre-back partnership of Max Kilman and Kostas Mavropanos has struggled to make an impact for West Ham and the goals have not exactly been flowing at the other end with West Ham scoring more than once on just one occasion in December.

That does not mean this will be a bludgeoning, though, and City themselves are still not operating at their best, so a 2-0 win for the Citizens makes an appeal in the correct score betting.

Despite his side’s struggles this term, Erling Haaland has still bagged 14 goals in the Premier League, averaging a goal every 122 minutes in the top flight.

Only Mohamed Salah (17) was ahead of him in the league’s scoring charts at the end of 2024 and, having netted in the win over Leicester, the Norwegian is worth a bet to score against West Ham.