Beware Pep and Manchester City! How West Ham United have become the ultimate banana skin for Premier League title contenders

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This weekend could play a huge role in deciding who will be crowned Premier League champions and which club will be playing their football in the Championship next season. Relegation-threatened West Ham United host title-chasing Manchester City live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on Saturday, and history suggests that The Hammers could present a bump in the road for Pep Guardiola's side.

Highlights: Valverde first-half hat-trick rocks Man City

Video credit: TNT Sports

It could turn out to be a pivotal weekend in the Premier League at both ends of the table.

Relegation-threatened West Ham United welcome title-chasing Manchester City to London Stadium on Saturday evening, and you can follow all the action live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+.

The Hammers will be bouncing into the game after reaching the Emirates FA Cup quarter-finals on Monday following a hard-fought penalty shoot-out win over London rivals Brentford.

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Pep Guardiola's side will be licking their wounds after a chastening 3-0 midweek defeat to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League last-16 first-leg tie.

Table-toppers Arsenal could find themselves 10 points clear before the game kicks off as they host Everton a few hours before.

The signs are not looking good for City, especially when you consider how The Hammers have a history of spoiling the party for clubs competing for the title during the run-in.

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After suffering a disappointing 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest in the last league match as well as a damaging defeat in Europe, City will not be looking forward to facing West Ham.

The Irons have only lost one game in their last five matches in the league as they continue their fine run under Nuno Espirito Santo.

But it is not only the form guide that should concern Guardiola and his troops. History suggests that West Ham are the ultimate banana skin for teams with their eye on the Premier League crown.

Title contenders	Result v West Ham	Final position
Man Utd 1994/95	1-1 D (May)	2nd
Newcastle 1995/96	2-0 L (February)	2nd
Arsenal 1997/98	0-0 D (March)	1st
Man Utd 1997/98	1-1 D (March)	2nd
Spurs 2015/16	1-0 L (March)	3rd
Arsenal 2015/16	3-3 D (March)	2nd
Leicester 2015/16	2-2 D (March)	1st
Spurs 2016/17	1-0 L (May)	2nd
Man City 2021/22	2-2 D (May)	1st
Arsenal 2022/23	2-2 D (April)	2nd
Liverpool 2023/24	2-2 D (April)	3rd
Arsenal 2024/25	1-0 L (February)	2nd

West Ham played a crucial role in the 1994/95 title race and have continued to punish title contenders during the run-in ever since.

On the final day of the 1994/95 campaign, Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United travelled to Upton Park needing a victory to become English champions for a third season in a row.

However, the east London club revelled in spoiling the party for Man Utd as they dug deep and came away with a 1-1 draw which saw Blackburn Rovers win the Premier League in one of the most memorable final days in the competition's history.

Over the last decade, The Hammers have proved to be a constant thorn for title contenders.

The 2015/16 campaign is the perfect example, as title-chasing Leicester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur all slipped up against West Ham.

Leicester famously lifted the Premier League trophy that season but a 2-2 draw against The Hammers came at a cost after talisman Jamie Vardy was sent off and was ruled out of the following match.

Andy Carroll produced a memorable hat-trick in West Ham's final game against Arsenal at the Boleyn Ground that season as The Gunners' title hopes faded away.

Arsenal also fell short in the 2022/23 campaign and the nerves started to kick in when they blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 against a Declan Rice-inspired West Ham.

Liverpool were hopeful of giving Jurgen Klopp the perfect farewell in his final season at the club in 2023/24, but their title hopes were diminished when they were pegged back at West Ham in an enthralling 2-2 draw.

The match will be remembered for Klopp and Mohamed Salah's touchline spat in front of the TNT Sports cameras.

'Interesting!' - Salah and Klopp involved in heated exchange on touchline

Video credit: TNT Sports

Nemesis Nuno

Although Guardiola's Premier League career has seen him come up against the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Arne Slot, Jose Mourinho and Mikel Arteta, one manager who could be labelled as his real nemesis is Nuno.

The Portuguese is the only manager to defeat Guardiola with three different clubs - Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest.

The most recent victory over Guardiola came last season, when Nuno inspired Forest to a 1-0 victory at the City Ground.

Highlights: Forest edge closer to top-four finish with battling win over Man City

Video credit: TNT Sports

Despite an extremely tough start to life at West Ham, Nuno has found his feet at the club with The Hammers confident that they can avoid the drop despite currently sitting in the bottom three.

"I always believe that Man City is one of the best teams, has an enormous amount of solutions and talented players and has a fantastic manager," Nuno said in his news conference ahead of this weekend's game.

"What I see is a tough opponent, a very tough opponent for anyone. They have a lot of options and always many talented players that can play in several positions.

"And they have an identity of the way they play football so that any player that eventually you put inside immediately clicks and gets inside of the identity of the team.

"They have so many options, so many talented players."

He added: "I think we improve our game. Like I said, the aspects that we mentioned before – the unity, the team spirit – it's there and it's basic that it continues.

"Some luck always helps, and realising that it's going to be needed."

Guardiola suggests 3-0 loss was cruel on Man City but hopeful for second leg

Video credit: TNT Sports

Guardiola, Haaland love facing West Ham

Despite West Ham's tendency to trip up title hopefuls and the club's mini-resurgence under Nuno, City still head into Saturday's game as favourites because of two factors: Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland.

Guardiola's record against The Irons is close to perfection, as he has never lost to West Ham in the league.

According to Opta, City have won 17 out of 19 matches under Guardiola against The Hammers. His teams have scored 53 goals in the process and only conceded 12.

Looking back at the table earlier, City are one of just three teams to slip up against West Ham in the title run-in and still lift the trophy at the end of the season.

As much as Nuno seems to find a way to stifle Guardiola, there is no doubt that the City boss has West Ham's number.

However, it will be concerning to Guardiola that City have lost three out of their last seven league matches after suffering defeat in the Champions League.

Speaking in his news conference ahead of the game, Guardiola wanted to make clear that he understood that his team will need to be at their best this weekend.

"These kind of games, it is hard," he explained. "For many plans you have, it doesn't happen.

"You play the game you have to play and after the game will dictate whether you have a chance or not. It is difficult, yes. Not much dollars in the bank for us, but we will see. Now is West Ham.

"The Premier League is the most difficult title, the Premier League I believe is the most difficult one, and still we are there knowing that if we drop points it will be over."

Guardiola also confirmed that there are no new fitness concerns for City's talisman Haaland and that spells bad news for West Ham supporters.

Erling Haaland	Premier League stats v West Ham
Appearances	7
Starts	7
Goals	11
Assists	1
Minutes played	611
Minutes per goal	56
Shots	34
Shot on target	18
Shots Conversion Rate	32.4%

*Data provided by Opta

The Norway international announced himself to English football with a brace on his Premier League debut against West Ham and has been tormenting them ever since.

In the reverse fixture in December, Haaland notched up two more goals and an assist as City stormed to a comfortable 3-0 victory at Etihad Stadium.

The league's top scorer this season has endured a rough patch of late after failing to score in his last three top-flight games, while he was also unable to stamp his authority in the midweek defeat at the Bernabeu.

Can Haaland return to form and help his team close the gap at the top? Or will West Ham finally enjoy a league win over Guardiola to continue their knack of ruining title contenders' hopes?

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