Manchester City finally got back to winning ways last Sunday and Pep Guardiola will now be looking to claim back-to-back victories for the first time since October when West Ham United come calling.
The Premier League champions ended their incredible slump by beating Leicester 2-0 at the King Power, with Erling Haaland bringing up a 7/1 long shot for us when he headed home the clincher.
Guardiola's side rode their luck a little in that game but getting over the line was all that mattered after a horrendous run of results.
Manchester City remain 14 points adrift of runaway leaders Liverpool and are still as big as 50/1 for the title but they will surely strengthen in January and a win over the Hammers would boost their fragile confidence further.
West Ham United also head into this clash with plenty of self-doubt after being smashed 5-0 at home by Liverpool in their last outing.
It looked like under-pressure boss Julen Lopetegui had turned a corner after a four-game unbeaten run but if his side lose heavily again to City then calls for his head will increase.
How the bookies view it: Champions the red-hot favourites
With Manchester City having home advantage, they're heavy favourites for this one at just 3/10 with BoyleSports. West Ham United are 15/2 outsiders and even the draw is pretty big at 9/2.
Recent head to head: Hammers horror
West Ham have a terrible record in this fixture and their only success in the last 20 meetings came with a shoot-out win in the EFL Cup back in 2021 after a 0-0 stalemate. The last three clashes have ended in 3-1 wins for Guardiola's side.
Players to watch: Kevin sent for City
One of the big positives for City in that win over Leicester was seeing Kevin De Bruyne get a full 90 minutes under his belt. They are a far more cohesive side with the Belgian in the team and he's 9/4 for anytime scorer with BoyleSports. An assist is more likely and that pays 11/10 at Bet365.
Maverick forward Mohammed Kudus is always a threat for West Ham United and came close with a shot that rattled off the post in the defeat to Liverpool. His pace and power could unsettle City's defence and the Ghanaian is 9/2 for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Manchester City still have a few injury issues, with keeper Ederson missing out at Leicester along with John Stones, Ruben Dias and Matheus Nunes. Rodri and Oscar Bobb remain long-term absentees.
West Ham suffered a huge blow when star striker Jarrod Bowen was forced off in the loss to Liverpool. He's joined on the sidelines by Max Killman, Michail Antonio and Lukas Fabianski.
Manchester City: Ortega, Walker, Gvardiol, Ake, Akanji, Kovacic, De Bruyne, B Silva, Foden, Savinho, Haaland.
West Ham United: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Emerson, Todibo, Mavropanos, Soucek, Rodriguez, Paqueta, Soler, Kudus, Fullkrug,
Anything else catch the eye?
Lopetegui's defence just can't cope against top-class forwards and I cashed in by backing Liverpool to be leading at half-time and full-time on Sunday. City aren't playing with the same kind of swagger as the leaders but a home win with over 3.5 goals still looks decent here at 5/4 with BoyleSports.
Guardiola's side managed to keep a clean sheet at Leicester but it was more by luck than design as the Foxes wasted a series of good chances. That makes me think BTTS stands a chance here and the bookies agree as it's priced at just 6/10 by BoyleSports. But you can boost the odds to 21/20 by combining that with no draw.
Only two games at the Etihad this season have failed to hit double figures for corners. You have to go to over 12.5 corners to get to 6/5 at BoyleSports here while over 8.5 City flag kicks pays 11/8.
This English Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham United will be played on Jan 4, 2025 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs West Ham United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
