An in-depth take a look at our opponents this weekend…
We head to the London Stadium in a 20:00 (UK) kick-off on Saturday, in search of to maintain tabs with leaders Arsenal on the high of the Premier League.
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Pep Guardiola’s aspect at the moment have 60 factors from 29 video games, seven factors off Arsenal with a sport in hand.
We beat West Ham 3-0 on the Etihad again in December, due to an Erling Haaland brace both aspect of a Tijjani Reijnders strike.
With the assistance of Opta information, we analyse the workforce we’ll face on Saturday…
Current kind
The Hammers sit 18th within the Premier League with 28 factors from 29 matches, with seven wins and 7 attracts.
Nonetheless, they’ve drastically improved in current weeks with two wins and two attracts of their final 5 outings.
That’s left them stage on factors with Nottingham Forest and one behind Tottenham Hotspur within the battle to keep away from relegation.
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Most well-liked lineup
They’re tended to play a compact 4-5-1 that may change into a 4-3-3 when in possession.
Mads Hermansen has reclaimed his place in aim from Alphonse Areola, whereas Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf are the primary selection full-backs.
Axel Disasi and Konstantinos Mavropanos have lately shaped a central defensive partnership, however Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo are additionally frequent choices within the function.
Mateus Fernandes is the important thing ball participant in midfield, with Soungoufou Magassa and Tomas Soucek doing a whole lot of leg work.
Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen are the celebrities out on the wing, however Summerville appears to be like prone to miss this sport by means of harm.
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Via the center, Callum Wilson or Taty Castellanos have tended to start out because the latter’s arrival in January.
Supervisor
Nuno Espirito Santo loved an unbelievable 2024/25, main Nottingham Forest into European soccer.
Nonetheless, he left the Metropolis Floor early on this marketing campaign and resurfaced at West Ham in late September.
Having been in control of the likes of Valencia, Porto, Wolves and Spurs, he’s received loads of expertise at a few of Europe’s largest sides.
Since taking up, he’s received six of his 24 video games in cost – constructing on his Premier League document of 80 wins in 210 matches.
Head-to-head document
Pep Guardiola is unbeaten in all 19 of his Premier League video games in opposition to West Ham, essentially the most a supervisor has confronted an opponent with out ever dropping within the competitors.
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In truth, we’ve received 17 of these!
In the meantime, Erling Haaland’s 11 objectives in opposition to West Ham is greater than he’s scored in opposition to some other opponent.
Throughout the Premier League period in its entirety, we’ve performed West Ham 49 instances and received 32 of them, scoring 96 objectives and conceding 44.
How they assault
With 35 objectives, West Ham are outperforming a number of of the edges round them close to the underside of the desk.
They’ve additionally scored these objectives from an xG of precisely 35, suggesting they’re taking possibilities as may fairly be anticipated.
They’re the quickest starters in the whole division, with their 9 objectives within the first quarter-hour of matches higher than anybody else.
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With 5 objectives on quick breaks, they’re the fourth greatest within the Premier League in that state of affairs, so we’ll need to be cautious of transitions.
Their common of 375 passes accomplished per match is the 18th most within the league, whereas solely Burnley common much less possession than them, so anticipate a direct method.
As has been the case for a number of years now, Bowen is their largest aim risk with eight strikes up to now, whereas Wilson and the injured Summerville have 5 every.
Bowen can be joint-top relating to assists, with marauding left-back Diouf stage with him on 5.
West Ham’s 54 objectives conceded up to now is the second worst within the aim, with solely Burnley letting in additional at this stage.
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And that’s come from an xG of simply 46.4, with the -7.6 distinction the worst within the league – suggesting sides are taking possibilities at a greater fee in opposition to them than would usually be anticipated.
They’re extra vulnerable to headed objectives than anybody within the Premier League, with the 16 they’ve conceded essentially the most within the division.
We’ll be aiming to benefit from set items as a result of West Ham are the worst at retaining them out within the Premier League, permitting 21 in.
Whereas they’re the very best starters when it comes to scoring within the opening quarter-hour, that could be a excessive danger technique as they’ve additionally let in eight objectives in that point.