West Ham vs Manchester City preview, team news, kick-off

Team news, stats and prediction ahead of West Ham vs Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday; Kick-off 12.30p

Team news

Said Benrahma will be added to the West Ham squad for the visit of Manchester City. The Algeria winger, signed last week from Brentford, is likely to start on the bench.

Striker Sebastien Haller missed the dramatic 3-3 draw at Tottenham last weekend with a knock but he is back in training.

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It remains to be seen if there are returns to action for Man City's Kevin De Bruyne, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake, all of whom missed Wednesday's 2-0 win over Porto due to injury.

When asked about the trio on Friday, boss Pep Guardiola said "some of them will be involved" in the contest at the London Stadium. De Bruyne and Laporte have returned to training.

Fernandinho, withdrawn with a leg problem late on in the Porto match, is sidelined, along with Gabriel Jesus and Benjamin Mendy.

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How to follow

Follow West Ham vs Manchester City in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.

Jones Knows' prediction

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This match provides a bit of a conundrum for a betting focused fellow like myself when tasked with making a score prediction. Do I think Manchester City are the more likely winners? Of course. But 4/11 with Sky Bet is skinny up against the Hammers who are fast becoming a throwback to David Moyes' impressive Everton side: powerful, direct and possessing quality in the right areas.

It's the type of team City can struggle against.

Furthermore, my eyes haven't been completely taken with Pep Guardiola's boys so far this season. Their intensity seems to be more 'lemon and herb' than 'extra hot' and an expected goals return of only 5.28 from their four games this season isn't very Manchester City at all. A theory backed up by a very mediocre performance in the Champions League in midweek where a 3-1 win flattered them over Porto. Plus, the inspirational Kevin De Bruyne remains a doubt.

At 13/2, West Ham, who have beaten both Wolves and Leicester by an aggregate score of 7-0 this season, are a tempting proposition to cause an upset. Oh, I've talked myself into it, you only live once. Home win.

JONES KNOWS PREDICTS: 2-1 (18/1 with Sky Bet)

Opta stats

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• West Ham have lost their last nine matches against Manchester City in all competitions, only enduring a longer losing run against Arsenal (a run of 10 between 2010 and 2015) in their entire history.
• Manchester City have won each of their five away matches in all competitions at London Stadium against West Ham by an aggregate score of 22-1, scoring at least four times in all five matches. City scored 22 goals in their last 20 matches against the Hammers at Upton Park.
• West Ham have shipped at least four goals in each of their last four home league matches against Man City - only one other team has ever done this in the history of the Football League since 1888, with Man City conceding 4+ goals in four home games in a row against Wolves between 1957 and 1960.
• This is the first time West Ham are starting a Premier League match against Man City above them in the table since March 2009, when they beat the Citizens 1-0 at Upton Park.
• West Ham have scored 10 goals in their last three Premier League games, beating Wolves 4-0 at home, Leicester 3-0 away and drawing 3-3 at Spurs. The last time they scored 3+ goals in four consecutive league games was back in September 1928 - their sequence of results back then was a 4-0 home win, a 3-0 away win, a 3-3 away draw, and a 4-1 home win.
• No team has scored 3+ goals in more different Premier League games in 2020 than West Ham (9). Indeed, the Hammers have scored at least three goals in nine of their 24 league games since David Moyes returned, as many as in their last 50 under Manuel Pellegrini.

Pitch to Post Preview podcast: Mata exclusive, Everton latest, Coady's rise at Wolves

Juan Mata is the special guest on this week's show, and he tells Peter Smith about Man Utd's return to form, looks ahead to their clash with Chelsea, and shares his views on the work being done off the pitch by Marcus Rashford.

Plus, we have more fallout from the Merseyside derby with Alan Myers explains Everton's perspective, Johnny Phillips discusses cult hero Conor Coady's importance to Wolves and Sky Sports Data Editor Adam Smith delves into the numbers behind the Premier League's goal rush, and makes a bold Pitch!

Listen to the Sky Sports Pitch to Post Preview Podcast on: Spotify | Apple | Castbox

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