WHZ View: Three things to look for as West Ham travel to face Man City
West Ham travel to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to face a Manchester City side on a winning streak of 19 games and counting. That’s some going. Can we be the side to break the run? Someone has to and we’re on a good run ourselves.
The Hammers will be looking to go five unbeaten in the league. We’ll be full of confidence having defeated Tottenham 2-1 in a London derby last weekend.
City have opened up a ten-point gap at the top of the Premier League table. They haven’t conceded at home since their 1-1 draw with West Brom in December, which was an own goal by Ruben Dias.
It will no doubt be the biggest test of the season for Moyes’ men. With that in mind, West Ham Zone have listed three things to keep an eye on as we face Pep Guardiola’s City.
Michail on the money
Antonio’s goal in our last game was his 6th of this current season, not a bad return as he missed 11 games through injury.
It was also his 42nd for the Hammers in the Premier League overall. This moved him ahead of Carlton Cole, and just four off of Mark Noble. The icon Paolo Di Canio holds the record with 47, which will surely be in Michail’s sights.
He scored our goal in the reverse fixture in October, an excellent acrobatic effort. His goals have won us eight points this season, we’d be in 8th place without them. He’ll be keen to add to his tally this weekend.
Rampant Raheem
It’s more likely than not that City will find the net. That’s not being negative, they’re simply just so good this season.
Of all their attacking firepower, Raheem Sterling has had the most success against us in the past. He’s been involved in 14 goals in 15 Premier League games against us, scoring eight and assisting six.
Coming into this one he’s in great form. Seven goals and assists in his last seven games doesn’t bode well for our back-line.
Squad rotation
Moyes has adapted well to whatever situation his players have been in this season. He’s regularly switched between a back five and a back four.
It’s difficult to know how he may line up. Against Sheffield United, he opted for a back three with wing-backs, and then when toe-to-toe with spurs and set up with a back four.
Facing City he could do either. They’ve averaged 63.1% possession in their matches this season [WyScout], whilst we’re happier to play on the counter. If he opts for wing-backs, we could see Ben Johnson return to the side. He’s come in and performed well a few times this season and is definitely one for the future.
In other West Ham news, here are Stuart Pearce’s top three moments for the Hammers.