Manchester City vs West Ham tips and predictions: City to canter to fourth consecutive league title

Scott Allen
16 May 2024

Manchester City will lift their fourth consecutive league title on Sunday afternoon when they brush aside West Ham (1600 BST)... oh, have I gone too early with my prediction?

Sorry Arsenal fans, hoping one of three rival London clubs would be able to give you an important helping hand in the Premier League title race was folly.

Manchester City have blasted their way back to the top of the table with Fulham and Tottenham holding the door open for them in their last two matches.

So a win against West Ham at the Etihad Stadium would result in City clinching a fourth consecutive league title – a feat which has never previously been achieved in the top tier of English football.

But can Declan Rice's old mates poop the party? The short answer is no.

This is a West Ham side, now on the beach after cementing 9th position, who have beaten City just twice in the last 20 meetings across all competitions. Once on penalties in a League Cup match back in 2021, and the other a 2-1 win in 2015.

West Ham will need to draw on the spirits of Kenny Brown, whose goal helped ruin Manchester United's title hope in the 1991/92 season and goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko who gifted Blackburn the crown in 1994/95 after Man Utd were unable to scramble a winner past the Czech international, despite a 90 minute bombardment of the Irons' goal.

On the plus side this current West Ham side are arguably streets better than any 1990s West Ham teams, bar Julian Dicks and Alvin Martin.

On the negative side this current West Ham team have been steamrollered far too many times this season, against far worse opposition than Manchester City.

Chelsea, Palace, Liverpool and Fulham have all put five past them, while Arsenal slapped them for six, and this is with 'defensive specialist' David Moyes at the helm. City to win 6-0 here at 18/1 looks generous.

The only challenge for us is picking how many goals will City thunder past West Ham, as they canter to the title while West Ham's creaky centre back pairing work out which flip-flops to take on holiday.

West Ham under Moyes have a terrible record against the big clubs and they will need a miracle to pull a cat out of the bag... and no, don't expect a lazy Kurt Zouma bet here.

If you are looking for miracles and a bold, but juicy bet, then that arrives in the form of West Ham's dependable right-back Vladimir Coufal.

The Czech international, who has made 124 Premier League appearances for the Irons, has a healthy 19 assists to his name and is always a threat down the right working alongside Jarrod Bowen.

But it's goals where Coufal struggles. His last one came for his old club Slavia Prague in December 2019. He's never scored for West Ham, but he has hit the woodwork three times and has gone very close in the last few games.

Kenny Brown was also a right-back and his half-volley from the edge of the area past Man Utd's Peter Schmeichel, was just one of a small handful of goals he netted in a nomadic career. If Brown can do then so can Coufal.

Coufal is a 25/1 anytime scorer, and throw in a 1-0 West Ham win at 45/1, then that's one hell of a double. It's totally mental, but it's the end of the season and anything can happen.

But now I've returned from cloud cuckoo land, Manchester City win, over 3.5 goals, Haaland scoring, along with at least one of Paqueta, Alvarez and or Emerson picking up their 11th bookings of the season is the sensible build-a-bet.

Sadly for Arsenal, this is where their dreams of a first title since 2003/04 will fade and die. But a tip of the hat for keeping the race interesting for a short while.

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Team news

Manchester City will be missing Ederson after he fractured his eye socket against Tottenham Hotspur, while Kevin De Bruyne is expected to have a late test after coming off injured in the same game.

Dinos Mavropanos and Nayef Aguerd, who have missed the last four Premier League matches through injury, will be given late fitness tests, but it is likely that Zouma and Ogbonna will occupy the centre of defence.

Although youngster Kaelan Casey has been pushing for his first start, it might be a bit cruel to thrust a 19-year-old with one sub appearance under his belt in front of a rampant City attack.