West Ham vs Manchester City Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Manchester City begin their Premier League title defence on Saturday when they travel to the London Stadium to face West Ham.
The Hammers will be aiming to get their season off to a strong start, despite the tough opposition. West Ham finished tenth last season and Manuel Pellegrini will be targeting a higher finish in the top half of the league table.
After kicking off their campaign with victory in the Community Shield, City now begin their chase for a third consecutive league title. They will need to show their quality in their first test of the season, as they prepare to fight for the trophy they defended successfully last season.
Here's our preview of Saturday's clash.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Saturday 10 August |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 12:30 (BST) |
Where Is it Played? | London Stadium |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | BT Sport 1 |
Referee? | Mike Dean |
Team News
Mark Noble has not recovered from injury in time for Saturday's Premier League opener. However, goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is likely to start once again, having missed the Hammers' final two pre-season tests.
Manchester City are without Leroy Sane for their trip to London after he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The German winger, who has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich all summer, will undergo surgery imminently and is set to be sidelined for a while.
Benjamin Mendy is also continuing his recovery from a knee injury and doesn't look like he will feature in the early stages of the season, while Aymeric Laporte should recover from a knock in time to start in defence.
Predicted Lineups
West Ham | Fabianski; Fredericks, Diop, Balbuena, Cresswell; Rice; Antonio, Fornals, Lanzini, Anderson; Haller. |
Manchester City | Ederson; Walker, Laporte, Stones, Zinchenko; David Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Bernardo Silva, Aguero, Sterling. |
Head to Head Record
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Manchester City have won more than half of the previous 109 meetings, prevailing 55 times in comparison to West Ham's 37 wins. There have been 17 draws between the two sides, though there has only been one draw in the last 16 meetings.
The teams last met competitively in February, where Sergio Aguero's penalty gave City a 1-0 win at the Etihad. They also met during the pre-season Premier League Asia Trophy back in July, when the Citizens ran out 4-1 winners.
City have won their last seven encounters with West Ham, with the Hammers' last victory coming in September 2015. West Ham have also had humiliating encounters with Pep Guardiola's side at home, conceding 17 goals and scoring one in their last four home meetings.
Recent Form
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West Ham had a mixed pre-season, winning twice and losing three games. After beating recently relegated Fulham and Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, the east Londoners finished off their friendlies with a penalty shootout defeat to La Liga's Athletic Club.
City began their competitive season last Sunday, as they beat Liverpool on penalties to win the Community Shield at Wembley. The Citizens secured their first piece of silverware of the season thanks to Gabriel Jesus' winning penalty, kicking the season off in style.
Here's how each team has performed in their last five fixtures.
West Ham | Manchester City |
West Ham 2-2 Athletic Club (2-4 on Pens) (3/8) | Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City (4-5 on Pens) (4/8) |
Hertha Berlin 3-5 West Ham (31/7) | Yokohoma FM 1-3 Manchester City (27/7) |
Fulham 0-1 West Ham (27/7) | Kitchee 1-6 Manchester City (24/7) |
Newcastle 1-0 West Ham (20/7) | Wolves 0-0 Manchester City (3-2 on Pens) (20/7) |
Manchester City 4-1 West Ham (17/7) | Manchester City 4-1 West Ham (17/7) |
Prediction
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Manchester City will be under intense scrutiny all season as they vie for their third consecutive title, and they know they must start strong. Their Community Shield win was promising evidence for the new season, but a trip to West Ham won't be as simple as it may seem.
West Ham's new signings will certainly have a positive impact, with a much stronger squad going into the new season. However, the Citizens have looked good in their preparations and should stroll to victory, starting their season in the best way possible at the London Stadium.
