We welcome the Hammers to the Etihad Stadium at 15:00 (UK) on Saturday 20 December.
City go into the game second in the Premier League with 34 points from our first 16 games, just two points behind leaders Arsenal.
Buy tickets for City v West Ham here
Our latest challenge sees Nuno Espirito Santo’s side come to Manchester.
With the help of Opta data, we take a look at what we can expect…
Recent form
With 13 points from 16 games, West Ham are 18th and three points off Leeds in 17th so will be in the relegation zone at Christmas if they fail to win this one.
The most recent of their three Premier League wins so far came against fellow relegation threatened side Burnley in early November.
They have drawn their last three away Premier League matches, taking the lead in two of those before being pegged back.
Preferred formation
In recent weeks, West Ham haven’t settled on any particular formation with Opta suggesting they’ve played 4-2-3-1, 3-4-1-2 and 4-3-1-2 in their last three outings alone.
All three have seen the bulk of the defensive unit remain the same, with Alphonse Areola now the first choice goalkeeper after Mads Hermansen held the role at the start of the season.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf are the first-choice full-backs on the right and left respectively. However, both have now gone to the African Cup of Nations so they will need to shift things around there.
Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo appear to be preferred to Max Kilman through the middle although Kilman would likely play should the Hammers go three at the back.
Soungoutou Magassa, Mateus Fernandes, Guido Rodríguez and Freddie Potts are rotational options deep in midfield, with Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville the attacking options most used ahead of them.
Manager
51-year-old Nuno Espirito Santo has developed a strong reputation in English football as a manager, having first arrived on these shores for the Wolves job in 2017.
He took them from the Championship to the quarter-finals of the Europa League before a brief and unsuccessful stint with Tottenham Hotspur.
‘Nuno’, as he’s colloquially known, then took Al-Ittihad to Saudi Pro League success in 2022/23 before a return to England with Nottingham Forest in December 2023, steering them away from the relegation zone before qualifying for Europe last term.
He left there on 9 September and was installed as the West Ham boss less than three weeks later.
In total, he’s won 76 of his 197 Premier League games to date.
Only Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and David Moyes have managed more games and can better his 38.6% win rate.
Head-to-head record
We are unbeaten in our last 19 Premier League games against West Ham – winning 16, drawing three - since a 2-1 home defeat in September 2015.
In total in the Premier League era, City have won 31 of the 48 games between the sides scoring 93 times and conceding just 44.
20 of those victories have come at the Etihad or Maine Road from 24 such games.
How they score their goals
As you’d expect for a side battling relegation, West Ham’s numbers don’t necessarily stack up favourably against the rest of the division.
Their 19 goals so far in the 15th most in the division. However, as those have come from an xG of just 16.3, they are fairly clinical when presented with an opportunity.
With only 21 Opta-defined ‘big chances’ so far, only Wolves have managed to forge fewer clear-cut openings.
However, with four goals from fast breaks so far, they are the fourth most dangerous side in the division from those situations.
We will also have to be wary towards the end of the game as eight of their goals have come in the final 15 minutes, which is also the fourth most of all 20 sides.
Completing an average of 368 passes per match places them 18th in terms of rotating possession, a whopping 183 fewer than City every game – the league’s leaders in this figure.
Jarrod Bowen has long been their star man and he’s their leading scorer with five strikes so far, while no player other than the unavailable Diouf has contributed more than one assist.
How they defend
Only Wolves and Burnley have conceded more than West Ham’s 32 goals shipped thus far.
That’s come from an xG of 26.4 and 245 shots on their goal, both the second worst totals in the league.
They’re also vulnerable in the air, conceding a league-high total of nine headed goals up until now.
Having let in 20 goals after half time, they’re the second worst in the league for letting it slip after the break.
Goalkeeper Areola has performed well since reclaiming his place, with a 68.7% save percentage placing him 10th of the 28 goalkeepers to play in the league this season.
City v West Ham tickets
Get into the festive cheer for the nearest home fixture to Christmas as we welcome West Ham!
We face Nuno Espirito Santo’s men on Saturday 20 December with a 15:00 (UK) kick-off at the Etihad.
Tickets are on sale to Cityzens Matchday and Junior Members - it’s three tickets per Member.
All adult Cityzens Matchday general admission tickets are priced between £30 - £60 while Under-18 tickets are between £15- £30.
The Blues have won every home fixture with the Hammers since Pep Guardiola’s arrival into the City hotseat with this game always an exciting one.
Two matches of late have been especially noteworthy with Erling Haaland breaking the single-season Premier League scoring record in the May 2023 clash as he received a Guard of Honour from teammates after the game.
And then, a double from Phil Foden and a superb strike from Rodri ensured a 3-1 triumph over the Londoners in May 2024 on the final day of the season as we collected Four-in-a-Row Premier League titles.
Make sure you’re here for this latest edition!
