West Ham v Manchester City: Premier League prediction, free tips, odds & betting

TV: BT Sport 1, 12.30pm Saturday

The reigning Premier League champions boast a near-perfect recent record against West Ham and they are the top dogs on opening weekends, but their trip to the London Stadium might not end in a routine win.

City certainly enjoy playing the Hammers – they have beaten them in their last seven competitive meetings, scored 17 goals in their last four visits, and only last month their reserves battered Manuel Pellegrini’s first team 4-1 in a pre-season showdown in China.

And City are the ultimate fast starters having won each and every one of their last eight opening-weekend games in the top division. A ninth will set another record.

For all that, there remains a sense that this fixture does not represent the banker away win that long odds-on prices imply it is.

It may be better to back City to win a thriller against a West Ham side who are naturally attack-minded under their Chilean chief, who guided City to Premier League glory five years ago.

There’s an air of optimism and confidence around the club after another colossal summer spending spree with fans drooling over the likes of Sebastien Haller, Pablo Fornals and Albian Ajeti being added to a mix featuring Manuel Lanzini, Michail Antonio, the dazzling Felipe Anderson and fit-again Andriy Yarmolenko.

Marko Arnautovic's unsavoury exit seems both long ago and an irrelevance.

Defensively, however, the Hammers have been not far short of a shambles over the summer, conceding four against City in the Asia Trophy and shipping at least two goals in three of their other matches.

Declan Rice, their bright young thing, has come in for a share of criticism, as have others. A Bundesliga-type approach of we’ll score more goals than you might work against ordinary sides but treble-winners Manchester City are anything but ordinary.

This game screams goals and backing both teams to score looks a solid enough bet for starters.

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West Ham can certainly create chances running at a City backline which hasn’t been strengthened over the summer, indeed it is weaker with Benjamin Mendy injured. Aymeric Laporte has also only just returned to training after a problem.

At the other end, it seems inconceivable that City won’t negotiate their way through a defence which which conceded 55 goals last season, the most in the top half. They haven’t failed to score in the Premier League since a 2-0 loss at Chelsea in December, one of only two occasions last season when they were shut out.

The front three is all about goals and having a fit Kevin De Bruyne available from deeper positions is an added menace for the hosts. The world-class Belgian started just 11 times for the champs in 2018-19 and has looked awesome in pre-season. The 8-1 that he opens the scoring doesn’t look a bad price.

Recommendations
Both teams to score
2pts Evs Betfair
Bet on both teams to score with William Hill here

K De Bruyne first goalscorer
0.5pts each-way 8-1 Betfair
Bet on Kevin De Bruyne with Paddy Power here

Bet on this match at Soccerbase.com

West Ham v Man City team news

West Ham
Mark Noble is out with a dead leg. Lukasz Fabianski is fit.

Manchester City
Benjamin Mendy and Leroy Sane are injured. Aymeric Laporte has shaken off a problem.

West Ham v Man City key stat

Manchester City have won eight straight opening-weekend fixtures.

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