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West Ham United will play host to league title challengers Manchester City in the last Saturday game of the Premier League 23rd round.
The hosts are having a very solid season under Slaven Bilic, sitting on the 6th place and posting realistic European aspirations. West Ham was on a brilliant run of 4 consecutive wins and 9 matches without defeat in all competitions until a rather disappointing 2-1 loss at Newcastle United last round. A poor match, but the run had to end at some point. West Ham will hope to revert to their usual solid play here, looking to capitalize on City’s poor away play.
The visitors have won just 4 out of 10 matches on the road this season, a poor statistic for a team that is seeking to win the title. On the bright side, they did win the last 2 away matches in all competitions, against Watford (2-1, very lucky) and Norwich (3-0, FA Cup) after more than 2 months without a road victory. The visiting side is coming after a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace, but only has a 50% statistical winning percentage in the last 6 matches.
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Team news & lineups:
Carroll, Sakho and Lanzini are unavailable for West Ham, while Manchester City won’t be able to count on Kompany, Mangala, Nasri and Kolarov.
West Ham United: Adrian – Byram, Ogbonna, Collins, Cresswell – Noble, Song, Kouyate – Moses, Payet – Valencia
Manchester City: Hart – Zabaleta, Otamendi, Demichelis, Kolarov – Fernando, Toure – Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling – Aguero
I feel there is tremendous value in the odds on West Ham here. This is a very resilient and hard to beat side, while Manchester City is not playing well on the road and is not in the greatest form right now. With just 1 loss in the last 10 games, there’s every reason to believe West Ham has a very solid chance to snatch at least a draw.
Look for a tight game, with West Ham defending well and City applying passive pressure. It won’t be easy for the visitors to find spaces against an organized and confident team, while the home side will have its chances on counter attacks. Last season West Ham won this fixture 2-1 and they also claimed victory in the first meeting this season, 2-1 at Etihad Stadium.
All in all, my tip on this encounter will be West Ham United to cover the +0,75 asian handicap. Prediction: West Ham – Manchester City 1-1.
Pick: West Ham (+0,75 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 2.03 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 8.24
Event date: 23 January
