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.
Hammers Hoping to Stop the City Juggernaut
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.
Some might say, it’s matchday! 🎶
COME ON YOU IRONS ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/eE9CSBW6Ds
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 31, 2024
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 Ready to Extend Winning Run
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.
Marking 9️⃣ years with a smile 😁
🩵 @KevinDeBruyne pic.twitter.com/vMzTQievf1
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 30, 2024
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.
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.
An unbelievable start from @PhilFoden! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/MmaZhEGVJt
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 19, 2024
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.
The Teams
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.
Michael Oliver.
West Ham vs Manchester City is available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Ultra.
Kick-off at the London Stadium is at 17:30 BST on Saturday 31 st August 2024.
West Ham: 6/1
Draw: 15/4
Manchester City: 21/50
The Verdict
It’s hard to look past Manchester City in this one. While West Ham have started the season positively under Lopetegui, City are simply a class above. The Citizens have been incredibly dominant against the Hammers in recent years, and their current form suggests another comfortable victory is on the cards. The pressure will be on West Ham to make a statement and hold their own against a dominant City side.
