West Ham vs Manchester City prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-09-15 14:00.
Clearly buzzing from their success on the continent in June, West Ham United have been one of the Premier League’s (PL) surprise packages after putting together an impressive unbeaten start (W3, D1). The Hammers’ ten points on the board at this stage represent their joint-highest PL points tally, having earned the same after four rounds in 1999/2000. Their mettle will be tested here though, as they welcome champions Manchester City who were the only side in the division to have bettered their return prior to the international break (W4).
The hosts often struggle to upset the odds against the very best, highlighted by the fact they’ve lost nine of their last ten PL games against reigning champions (D1), conceding at least two goals in nine of those contests. Despite their impressive form, it’s also worth noting David Moyes’ men are without a clean sheet in seven straight league matches.
Manchester City looked at their very best prior to the international break, smashing five past Fulham en route to their 5-1 home success. While Pep Guardiola might have one eye on the return of the Champions League in the days after this contest, he’ll more than likely be putting out a strong side capable of extending a dominant H2H record, with City unbeaten at West Ham in eight league visits (W5, D3).
The start made by the hosts this season makes this game a much tougher assignment on paper than would have been expected when the fixtures were revealed. However, games against the division’s in-form sides often light a fire underneath City and they boast a record of just one loss from their last 11 games against teams starting the round inside the PL’s top four after five rounds or more (W8, D2).
Key battle: West Ham’s Kurt Zouma scored his 13th career PL goal against Luton, 12 of which have been headers. Trying to outdo him will be City defender Nathan AkĂ© – since the 2016/17 season, only two defenders (Marcos Alonso and Virgil van Dijk) have scored more combined PL goals (16).
Hot stat: Only Sir Alex Ferguson has faced an opponent more as a manager in the PL without ever losing (16 vs Charlton) than City’s Guardiola against West Ham (14).