Chris Sutton predicts outcome of West Ham United clash v Manchester City in Premier League for BBC Sport
Chris Sutton believes West Ham United will fall to a 3-0 defeat against Manchester City in their Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night (3 May).
The Hammers arrive into the clash on the back of a thoroughly entertaining but nonetheless disappointing 4-3 defeat against Crystal Palace (29 April), which left David Moyes’ side four points above the relegation zone with five games remaining.
Writing in his weekly predictions column for BBC Sport, Sutton slammed the “dreadful” defence of the Hammers in their seven-goal defeat last weekend and predicted that Pep Guardiola’s side would blow them away with a quick-fire start that would not be overturned.
“West Ham were dreadful defensively against Crystal Palace at the weekend,” he wrote. “However, they have been on the wrong end of some absolutely awful decisions recently, which meant I got a couple of predictions wrong. I feel like I should lodge my own protest against the PGMOL.
“This is the Hammers’ game in hand on the teams below them, but it is hard to make a case for them getting anything at Etihad Stadium.
“The only question mark over City at the moment is how they will juggle their squad with the schedule they face in the next few weeks, and how much that affects their rhythm.
“I suspect Pep Guardiola’s plan will be to try to blow teams away early and take the likes of Erling Haaland off when the game is won.
“That’s what they will try to do here, for starters.”
As tough as it gets.
Although West Ham looked to have turned a corner in recent weeks, the 4-3 defeat to the Eagles was a reminder that they aren’t out of trouble quite yet.
One more win should be more than enough to secure the club’s Premier League status for next season, but it would be an almighty effort for this to come at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Manchester City are in sublime form currently and can blow away any team in Europe away on their day.
From a West Ham perspective, the injury to Kurt Zouma is a massive blow, considering the club are still fighting in the Europa Conference League and the onslaught that will greet them on their trip to Manchester.
Although Moyes will be tempted to tinker with his starting lineup when considering the upcoming test against Manchester United this weekend and the European semi-final against AZ Alkmaar, he must resist this temptation.
Guardiola’s side can completely shatter a team’s confidence within 90 minutes of football, and the Hammers must be careful not to fall into this trap.