Manchester City v West Ham Betting Tips [19 February 2020]

Manchester City will hope to find answers to their off-field problems against West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium in this rescheduled Premier League fixture. City are second with 51 points, while West Ham are 18th with 24 points.

City are given a jolt in the previous week on the news about their Champions League participation ban. The din around that news is massive for the side, but they have work to do before laying claim on the second spot. Leicester are just one point behind having played a game more, but the fact that they might not qualify for the Champions League shouldn’t pull City’s efforts down. They still are the top-scorers of the league with 65 goals, 31 of which have come at home. Although they have lost their last league game against Tottenham, City have won four of their last six Premier League matches. Furthermore, they have won three of their last four fixtures at home.

West Ham’s continuous slide in the rankings has culminated in them reaching the bottom-three. They can move up the standings with a win here, but there is very little hope of that. The visitors have lost three of their last five, drawing the other two. Defence remains a problem for the ‘Hammers’ who conceded 43 goals, which is the fourth-worst tally in the division coming into this fixture. Even away from home, West Ham have struggled for results. They have lost their last three away league games and six of their last eight on the road in the division. To make matters worse, West Ham have failed to score a goal in four of those eight matches. In fact, West Ham have not scored a goal in five of their last ten Premier League away fixtures.

Manchester City will be looking for a win not just to maintain their top-two rank, but also to answer their off-field concerns. The hosts couldn’t have asked for a better opponent than West Ham United, who have been serial losers to City. Nevertheless, it will be a test of character for the hosts and they might look to win big.