Manchester City vs West Ham United Preview

It’s another Premier League final day and Manchester City will have another chance to win the title on the last day of the season when they welcome West Ham to the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola’s side kept themselves in command of the Premier League title race when they defeated Tottenham 2-0 last Tuesday. The Cityzens were expected to drop points in North London but they overcame that adversity to ensure that they go into the final day of the season top of the table for the fifth time in the last six Premier League seasons.

They only have to win here to guarantee they become the first Premier League side to win four league titles in a row. There is no doubt they can do that, given that they have won their last three home league games – scoring 14 total goals in the process. Pep Guardiola’s men have also won the last seven head-to-head meetings against West Ham so morale should be high here.

However, with memories of their late comeback to beat Aston Villa 3-2 to claim the title two years ago still fresh in his mind, Guardiola is taking nothing for granted here. He has likened the final push to how hard tennis players say it is to serve for Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, West Ham will be desperate to give their departing boss David Moyes a great second farewell when they face City at the Etihad. The Hammers could help fellow Londoners Arsenal claim the title if they win or get a draw here. They have little to play for as they are assured of finishing ninth after beating Luton 3-1 last weekend to end a four-match winless streak in the league (D1, L3), but serving as party spoilers could be good motivation.

The departing Moyes has only won more games as a manager against Fulham (20) than he has against Man City (W15, D7, L19), so hopes of a winning finale might not be that far-fetched. A 2-0 win at Arsenal in December shows the visitors can upset the division’s leading teams and they’ve won as many games on the road this term as they have at home (W7, D2, L9). However, visiting fans are unlikely to get too carried away given that aforementioned terrible record here while Moyes has never won a league meeting against Guardiola (D2, L10).

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table