Manchester City have the chance to momentarily go top of the Premier League table, if they beat West Ham on Saturday.
They sit two points behind leaders Arsenal heading into this weekend and have the chance to put the pressure on the Gunners, as they play before them on Saturday.
WATCH — Manchester City v West Ham
Pep Guardiola’s City have clicked through the gears and wracked up six wins in a row in all competitions, including beating Brentford in midweek to reach the League Cup semifinals. They won 3-0 at Crystal Palace last weekend to make it four wins on the spin in the league as Phil Foden is starring and Erling Haaland just keeps on scoring, as City have also a new-found defensive solidity.
West Ham have become solid under Nuno Espirito Santo but lost a thriller 3-2 at home to Aston Villa last weekend, despite leading twice, and remain in the relegation zone. The Hammers have lost just two of their last seven games (drawing their last three in a row on the road) and will sit deep at City and aim to pick them off on the counter.
For live updates and highlights throughout Manchester City vs West Ham, check out PST’s live blog coverage below.
How to watch Manchester City vs West Ham live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10am ET Saturday (December 20)
Venue: Etihad Stadium — East Manchester
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com
Manchester City team news, focus
Rodri continues to be nursed back from injury slowly, while Mateo Kovacic remains out. Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush are both away on AFCON duty, while Jeremy Doku is out with an injury for the next few weeks and that is a big blow given his incredible form this season. John Stones is a doubt, while City’s back four is now very settled and that has led to plenty of solid defensive displays. And when you have Foden and Haaland in this kind of form, you’re confident of winning any game.
West Ham team news, focus
The Hammers are without their two starting full backs for the next few weeks as Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Malick Diouf are both on AFCON duty. It will be intriguing to see what Nuno does with the starting lineup but it could be similar to last time out against Villa with Bowen, Paqueta and Summerville tasked with leading fast counters. It’s likely that West Ham will go to five at the back.
Manchester City vs West Ham prediction
Given City’s recent form it’s tough to go with anything other than a resounding home win. West Ham can be stubborn, but City will find a way. Manchester City 3-1 West Ham.