Prediction: West Ham vs Manchester City

Prediction: Man City win

Best Odds: 2/9

Bookmaker: bet365

The Premier League is back in our lives this weekend, and we know that a lot of folks are going to rejoice at that news. The international break was fun while it lasted but it’s time to get back to the domestic football that everyone knows and loves, with one of the first games on the billing being West Ham United vs Manchester City. This is being viewed as a David vs Goliath moment by many, when in reality, the Hammers are just a few steps in the right direction away from becoming a top half club once again – whereas City, as we know, seem unstoppable right now.

West Ham

West Ham still have a long way to go before this ‘experiment’ of trying to transform them into a club worthy of competing in Europe pays off. They’ve been to the dance before but their inconsistency is evident for everyone to see, based purely on how they’ve been performing over the course of their last few games. They’ve got talent in numbers but that depth isn’t going to mean anything if they can’t translate it into results, but they’ll be confident in knowing that Pellegrini will be desperate to get one over on his old club this weekend.

Team News

Marko Arnautovic will lead the line for West Ham with Anderson and Rice also being looked upon as key players for this clash, as Zabaleta hopes to start against his old side.

Manchester City

What is there to say about Manchester City that hasn’t already been said? The reigning Champions of England appear to be on their way to yet another Premier League title and while some fans may think that’s premature, there’s been very little evidence to suggest that they’re going to be knocked off of their perch anytime soon. Obviously anything can happen in this game but when you look at the strength of their squad from top to bottom, it’s kind of terrifying.

Team News

Kevin De Bruyne is still out but City should still field a full strength starting XI apart from that, with Aguero leading from the front.

Factors to Consider

• The game will be played at West Ham’s London Stadium.
• West Ham have won one, drawn two and lost three of their last six games.
• Man City have won their last six games in all competitions.
• Man City lead the overall head to head standings 53-37 with 17 draws.
• In their last meeting back in April, Man City won 4-1.

Conclusion

There’s only one obvious answer here and that’s a Manchester City victory, and while we think that is what’s going to happen, it’s probably going to wind up being a lot closer than most people think. The Hammers can be an organised unit when they want to be and they’ve proven that against some top teams this season, so we believe they’re actually going to play City pretty close. They’ll come unstuck because of the visitors’ overwhelming quality but it won’t be a blowout, and in the end, we’ll be left with a final scoreline of 3-1.

Prediction: Man City win

Best Odds: 2/9

Bookmaker: bet365