Leaders Arsenal hosted Everton a few hours ago and could be 10 points clear going into the game.
It doesn’t bode well for City, especially given the Hammers’ history of ruining the title-chasing club’s parties during run-ins.
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Highlights: West Ham advances to quarter-finals after Panenka misses sting in shootout
Video credit: TNT Sports
The Irons have continued their run of form under coach Nuno Espirito Santo, losing just one of their last five league games.
But form guides aren’t the only thing Guardiola and his men need to worry about. History has shown us that West Ham are the ultimate banana peel for teams aiming to win the Premier League.
Title candidate results vs. West Ham Final rankings Man United 1994/951-1 D (May) 2nd Newcastle 1995/962-0 L (February) 2nd Arsenal 1997/980-0 D (March) 1st Man United 1997/981-1 D (March) 2nd Spurs 2015/161-0 L (March) 3rd place Arsenal 2015/163-3 D (March) 2nd place Leicester 2015/162-2 D (March) 1st place Spurs 2016/171-0 L (May) 2nd place Man City 2021/222-2 D (May) 1st place Arsenal 2022/232-2 D (April) 2nd place Liverpool 2023/242-2 D (May) (April) 3rd place Arsenal 2024/251-0 L (February) 2nd place
West Ham played a key role in the 1994-95 title race and have continued to punish the title contenders during run-ins ever since.
On the final day of the 1994/95 season, Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United traveled to Upton Park, needing a win to become champions of England for a third successive season.
But the East London club were more than happy to spoil Man United’s party as Man United dug deep and emerged victorious with a 1-1 draw, giving Blackburn Rovers the Premier League title on one of the most memorable final days in the competition’s history.
Over the past decade, the Hammers have always proven to be a thorn in the side for title contenders.
The 2015/16 season was a perfect example of this, with title contenders Leicester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur all losing to West Ham.
Leicester famously lifted the Premier League trophy that season, but a 2-2 draw with the Hammers cost them as talisman Jamie Vardy was sent off and ruled out of the next game.
That season, with the Gunners’ title hopes gone, Andy Carroll scored a memorable hat-trick in West Ham’s final game against Arsenal at the Boleyn Ground.
Arsenal fell short in 2022-23, and tensions began to set in when they blew a two-goal lead against Declan Rice’s West Ham to draw 2-2.
Liverpool were hoping to give manager Jurgen Klopp the perfect farewell in his final season at the club in 2023/24, but a frenetic 2-2 draw with West Ham saw their title hopes fade.
The match will be remembered for the altercation between Klopp and Mohamed Salah on the touchline in front of TNT Sports’ cameras.
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‘interesting! ‘ – Salah and Klopp in a heated battle on the touchline
Video credit: TNT Sports
nemesis nuno
Guardiola has faced the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Arne Slott, Jose Mourinho and Mikel Arteta during his Premier League career, but Nuno is one of his true rivals.
The Portuguese is the only manager to beat Guardiola at three different clubs: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest.
Their most recent victory over Guardiola came last season, when Nuno inspired Forest to a 1-0 victory at the City Ground.
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Highlights: Forest Edge move closer to top-four finish with win over Man City
Video credit: TNT Sports
Despite a very difficult start to his time at West Ham, Nuno has settled into the club with the Hammers and is confident they can avoid a drop down the table, despite currently sitting in the bottom three.
“What I see is a tough opponent, a very tough opponent for everyone. They have a lot of options, a lot of talented players who can play in multiple positions at any given time.
“And they have an identity in the way they play their football, so the players that you end up putting in the team click right away and get into the identity of the team.
“They have so many options and so many very talented players.”
He added: “I think we are improving our game. As I said, the aspects of unity and team spirit are there and it is fundamental that that continues.”
“A certain amount of luck always helps, but it’s about recognizing that you’re going to need it.”
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Guardiola says 3-0 loss was cruel for Manchester City, but hints at expectations for second leg
Video credit: TNT Sports
Guardiola, Haaland keen to play against West Ham
Despite West Ham’s tendency to stumble favorites and the club’s mini-resurgence under Nuno, City still go into Saturday’s match as favorites due to two factors: Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland.
Guardiola has never lost to West Ham in the league, so his record against the Irons is close to perfect.
According to Opta, City have won 17 of the 19 games they have played against the Hammers under Guardiola. His team scored 53 goals in the process, conceding just 12 goals.
Looking back at the table above, City slipped in the title race against West Ham and are one of only three teams to still lift the trophy at the end of the season.
Nuno appears to have found a way to rein in Guardiola, but there is no doubt that the City manager has West Ham’s number on his back.
But it will be worrying for Guardiola that City have now lost three of their last seven league games following defeat in the Champions League.
“This kind of game is difficult,” he explained. “A lot of the plans you make don’t make it happen.
“We play the games we have to play and it’s decided after the game whether we have a chance or not. It’s difficult for sure. We don’t have much in the bank but we’ll see. It’s West Ham now.”
“The Premier League is the most difficult title, I believe the Premier League is the most difficult title, but we are still there knowing that if we drop points it’s over.”
Guardiola also confirmed there are no new fitness concerns for City talisman Haaland, which comes as bad news for West Ham supporters.
Erling Haaland Premier League Stats vs. West Ham Appearances 7 starts 7 goals 11 assists 1 minutes played 611 Minutes per goal 56 Shots 34 Shots on target 18 Shots Conversion rate 32.4%
*Data provided by: Opta
The Norwegian made his name in English football by scoring twice on his Premier League debut against West Ham and has been tormenting them ever since.
In December’s come-from-behind game, Haaland scored a further two goals and provided one assist as City won 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
The league’s top scorer this season has not scored in the last three matches in the top league, and while he has endured a difficult situation recently, he also failed to prove his authority in the midweek loss to the Bernabéu.
Can Haaland regain his form and help the team close the gap at the top of the table? Or will West Ham finally enjoy a league victory against Guardiola and continue their bid to crush the title contenders’ hopes?
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