The magic number is 14 for Manchester City, ahead of their next match, Wednesday night against West Ham United. Sporting a goal differential advantage of 14 on second place Arsenal, barring a miracle, City will end the season ahead of the Gunners on this crucial tie-breaking statistic.
That is of course, if it even comes to that, as this will be settled by season points first. Which brings us to the other reason 14 is the magic number.
West Ham United at Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Wednesday, May 3, 8PM UK Time, Etihad Stadium
Manchester City Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
West Ham Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Form Guide West Ham LLWDL Man City WWWW
PL Standing: West Ham 15th, 34 pts Man City 1st, 76 pts
Google Result Probability: West Ham 7% Man City 80% Draw 13%
With five matches left on the season, the maximum amount of points that Arsenal can accrue is 90- five wins equals 15 points to complement the 75 that they currently possess. City have 76, so 14 more and they hit 90. City have six matches left, so that is 18 potential points left out there for the taking.
If they win four, draw one and lose one that would theoretically be enough to get them over the line. Up next is a visit from lower table West Ham United, and theoretically, this should be one of the easier games left on the slate.
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction vs West Ham United
Ederson, Akanji, Dias, Laporte, Stones: Rodri, Gundogan; Silva, Alvarez, Grealish; Haaland
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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