West Ham vs Manchester City Tips and Predictions
Manchester City started the 2023/24 season on the wrong foot as they lost the FA Community Shield to Arsenal. However, Pep Guardiola’s men recovered quickly and, after their first UEFA Super Cup win in history, the Citizens are also the leaders in the Premier League with 12 points following four straight wins.
West Ham, despite losing Declan Rice, have also been solid at the start of the campaign. Undefeated so far, David Moyes’s men have gathered 10 points in the meantime and sit fourth in the league. However, we expect that lossless streak to end this weekend as you will see in our West Ham vs Manchester City tips. The kick-off is scheduled for 3 pm local time on Saturday, September 16.
Erling Haaland to score anytime
The Premier League Golden Boot winner from last term, Erling Haaland, is showing no signs of slowing down. In the 2023/24 league campaign, the Norwegian striker has already netted six times in four matches, including a hat-trick against Fulham just before the international break. In fact, the only Premier League game Haaland failed to score in was City’s 1-0 win over Newcastle United.
On Saturday, we expect Haaland to continue with his good form and end up on the scoreboard again. Erling scored three goals in the two matches he played against West Ham last term (his first ever goals in the Premier League were scored against them), so he already knows what is needed to get past the Irons’ defence. Bet365 offers 1.66 odds on Erling Haaland scoring anytime during the match.
Man City to win to nil
Both Man City and West Ham continue with the playing styles they had last season. Pep Guardiola bets on possession and high intensity in order to cut down the rival’s counter-attacks even before they start. David Moyes, on the other hand, prefers to sit deep, especially against stronger opponents, and only launch quick, vertical attacks when there is enough free space up front to exploit.
The issue on Saturday will be that Man City are very unlikely to leave any free spaces – they play with four centre-backs for a reason! So, while the Citizens definitely have the attacking prowess to put a few past Alphonse Areola (West Ham are yet to keep a clean sheet this term), the Hammers will find it hard to score despite playing on home turf. Simply speaking, we expect Man City to beat West Ham to nil, and Bet365 offers 2.62 odds on it.
Under 2.5 goals
While we’ve mentioned that West Ham haven’t kept a single clean sheet this season so far, the Irons haven’t conceded more than one goal per game either. That is despite facing solid teams like Brighton and Chelsea. Moyes will certainly park the bus on Saturday but Man City – through the likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and others – should be able to score at least once.
However, a full-on goalfest does not look likely for several reasons. First of all, many players were in action for their countries during the international break so they aren’t at their freshest. Second, the 2023/24 Champions League campaign starts already next week, and once the Citizens get 1-0 or 2-0 up, Pep will instruct his players to keep possession and save the gas in their tanks instead of going for another goal. Bet365 gives 2.37 odds on under 2.5 goals, an attractive offer.
Please remember to always gamble responsibly. Our West Ham vs Manchester City tips are mere suggestions, not a call to action. Always rely on your own judgement first and foremost.