After a bruising 4-3 encounter with Crystal Palace on Saturday, West Ham will not be looking forward to a trip to the Etihad to take on a monster Manchester City side.
The Blues have not lost since February 5 and are on for the treble, buoyed by last week’s 4-1 win over title rivals Arsenal before a classy 2-1 win away at Fulham. The Hammers are just four points from the drop zone and would be thrown right into relegation danger with a loss at City.
The schedule of Thursday to Sunday football has had a massive impact on their campaign, albeit they still find themselves in the semi-final of the Europa Conference League. The dream of European glory is jeopardising their Premier League safety.
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City also find themselves in the last four of a very different continental competition, although the similarities largely end there - apart from one statistic.
West Ham have conceded just four non-penalty set-pieces this season - a league best. City have conceded two more. Both teams have scored 11 times in this manner, joint fifth-best.
All three of West Ham’s goals at Selhurst Park came from corners but they were otherwise very tame. What is no doubt worrying for David Moyes off the back of those three goals against Palace is that they now travel to a club who last conceded from a set-piece at home on November 22.
City are not impregnable at the Etihad though - they have conceded in each of their last three Premier League home games. But from open play West Ham have been poor.
In fact, they have the worst record regarding this on the road having netted just four from open play. City have netted 41 times via this method on home soil, a league-high.
It looks like West Ham will be banking on set-pieces as their primary method of goal scoring but the Hammers may have to change tack. Not only that, City are looking like a juggernaut right now.
Kevin De Bruyne was not involved at all against a Fulham side who were teetering on Europe at one stage. Julian Alvarez took his place and struck the winner to send City back to the top of the table.
City won all of their final 14 matches in their run to pipping Liverpool to the 2018/19 title and they can do so again with aplomb this time. The Blues won the crown by the same margin last season and secured a crucial point away at West Ham in May last year.
The two teams meet again 12 months on, albeit in very different shapes. Erling Haaland could become the player to score the most goals in a Premier League season in history having scored his first City goals against West Ham on the opening day.
Meanwhile, West Ham only have two forwards who have reached double figures across all competitions.
The Hammers are not knocking on the door of Europe anymore and will be a very different test on Wednesday. City should have more than enough to cope with their plan A, which could see them to an 11th Premier League clean sheet of the season.
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