West Ham vs Manchester City – Match Preview

Two Spaniards meet in the dugout this Saturday as Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham face Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the London stadium.

The Citizens have swept aside everyone in the wake thus far with a 2-0 away win at Chelsea followed by a 4-1 home win over newly promoted Ipswich Town.

After a disappointing start, West Ham looked to have found their feet this campaign as they
fought well to overcome Crystal Palace in South London last weekend and progressed into
the third round of the Carabao Cup with a slender 1-0 win over Bournemouth.

However, this will be a different type of test for the Hammers as they haven’t beaten the reigning Premier League champions since the 2014/2015 season, when they did the double over this weekend’s opposition.

West Ham vs Manchester City – Match Preview

Form

West Ham United: LWW

West Ham suffered an opening day defeat at the London Stadium at the hands of Aston Villa, with a late Jhon Duran goal condemning the Hammers to a tough start.

The Colombian was heavily linked with the East London club this summer, but a deal failed
to materialise and the striker swiftly showed West Ham what they missed out on with a winner at the London Stadium.

However, Lopetegui’s team bounced back, with a 2-0 away win at Crystal Palace. Tomas
Soucek grabbed West Ham’s first before captain Jarrod Bowen finished a flowing move to confirm the three points.

They continued their winning form with a controversial winner against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup. Jarrod Bowen looked to have turned the ball into the net with a hand, but the goal stood to dump Andoni Iraola’s side out of the competition. West Ham’s reward will be a third-round trip to Anfield to play Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

Manchester City: WW

Manchester City have made a perfect start to their title defence with successive wins to open the campaign. A professional performance at Chelsea was followed by a comfortable win over Ipswich, as the Citizens recovered from an early setback to run out 4-1 winners at the Etihad.

Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick against the Tractor Boys to make in four goals in two games, with the back-to-back Golden Boot winner taking an early lead in the 2024/25 race. Haaland has now scored against every single opposition side he has faced in the Premier League, a remarkable achievement. That return includes four goals in four meetings with West Ham and goals on each of his previous visits to the London Stadium.

Last Meeting: Manchester City 3-1 West Ham, Premier League, 19th May 2024

Manchester City sealed their fourth consecutive Premier League title when the two sides last met, with a final-day victory over the Hammers.

PFA Player of the Year Phil Foden settled the nerves with an inspired goal inside two
minutes, as he arrowed the ball into the top corner from outside the box. The Englishman
then doubled his tally shortly after to ensure his boyhood club already had one hand on
the trophy.

Nerves crept back in when Mohammed Kudus pulled one back with a magnificent acrobatic finish. However, the Citizens restored their two-goal advantage just before the hour mark, when Rodri delicately stroked the ball into the bottom corner in customary fashion. The goal sealed the win and City’s unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title win.

Predicted Lineups:

West Ham: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek, Paqueta; Bowen, Fullkrug, Kudus.

Manchester City; Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Silva, De Bruyne; Savinho, Doku, Haaland.

Who is the referee?

Michael Oliver.

What channel is West Ham vs Manchester City on?

West Ham vs Manchester City is available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Ultra.

What time is kick-off?

Kick-off at the London Stadium is at 17:30 BST on Saturday 31 st August 2024.

Odds

West Ham: 6/1

Draw: 15/4

Manchester City: 21/50

Read – Every single Premier League transfer on deadline day

See more – Guardiola admits Manchester City might have made ‘mistake’

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