Manchester City finds itself in unfamiliar territory after losing back-to-back games for the first time in more than a year, but Sunday’s visit with West Ham United should see the team get back to its winning ways. The Citizens have won their last nine meetings with the Hammers and sauntered to a 5-0 win when these teams met in August, with the East Londoners seeking their first points at the Etihad Stadium since Sept. 2015.
Manchester City vs. West Ham
- When: Sunday, February 9
- Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
- TV: NBCSN
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
It was during the 2015-16 campaign that West Ham clinched four points from two league clashes with City—a trend that ended after Pep Guardiola arrived at the helm the following summer.
The Catalan coach will be without Raheem Sterling for the Week 26 fixture after his star winger was ruled out due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the recent 2-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur.
Oleksandr Zinchenko is suspended after he was sent off following two cautions at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, though Aymeric Laporte could provide a boost if he returns in central defense. Leroy Sane recently returned to City training, but it seems unlikely he’ll be risked on Sunday.
City lost 1-0 at home to rivals Manchester United in the fixture prior to tits Spurs defeat, a more forgivable result given the team still advanced to the Carabao Cup final with a 3-2 aggregate victory.
Nonetheless, West Ham will view City as more vulnerable than usual after successive defeats, and City’s motivation is sure to be dented considering it now sits 22 points below leaders Liverpool.
Jack Wilshere, Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko are still sidelined for the visiting team, meaning Robert Snodgrass and Michail Antonio could keep their places out wide. Winter arrival Tomas Soucek—a loan signing from Slavia Prague—should retain his starting spot in midfield.
David Moyes has faced the Citizens 30 times and boasts an even record of 13 wins and 13 losses (four draws). However, that record has suffered since he left Everton in 2013, losing his past six encounters with City at three different clubs. His teams have lost those six games by an aggregate score of 4-17, never managing to score more than once.
It’s been more than a month since the Hammers beat Bournemouth 4-0 on New Year’s Day, marking their only top-flight win of 2020 so far, and all signs point towards a City resurgence on home turf.
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