New Delhi: West Ham United and Manchester City will lock horns with each other at the London Stadium tonight at 10 pm. The defending champions Manchester City will be seeking to make it three wins out of three at the start of the new season. The city have already doubled over the Hammers in the last two seasons and secured the 3-1 victory a year ago when they locked horns in the capital.
West Ham United
Head Coach Julen Lopetegui of West Ham United during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium on August 28, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
The new West Ham manager Julean Lopetegui after beginning his season with a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa celebrated his first victory as his side secured a 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace. The West side opened the scoring in the second half after a goalless first half.
Tomas Soucek opened the scoring in the 67 minutes just five minutes before captain Jarrod Bowen scored the second goal and with that, the Hammers were able to keep their first Premier League clean sheet since January ending a 19-game run without a defeat.
West Ham United faces a tough encounter against Man City at home followed by an away clash with Fulham next. Success over Man City has been hard to come as they have failed to win any of their last 17 meetings since a 2-1 away victory in 2015 under former manager Slaven Bilic.
Manchester City
Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Ipswich Town FC at Etihad Stadium on August 24, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Manchester City have been slow starters under manager Pep Guardiola but they have bagged the Community Shield and have even picked up maximum points in their first two games bagging the first spot in the Premier League table. They have scored six goals and conceded only one.
Four out of the six goals are scored by the leading marksman Erling Haaland. Kevin De Bruyne has netted in between two goals from Haaland before the Golden Boot winner completed his hat-trick in the closing stages to ensure City extend their impressive record run of Premier League wins.
Team News
Phil Foden of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Manchester City FC at Stamford Bridge on August 18, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
West Ham manager Lopetegui revealed that the left-back Aaron Cresswell is nursing a hamstring injury and will undergo scans to determine the severity of the injury. Edeson Alvarez who was also suffering from a hamstring injury was handed to start in midweek and is most likely to retain his place in the starting XI. He got injured when he was on international duty with Mexico at the Copa America 2024.
Emerson Palmieri is expected to be recalled along with Kudus and Lucas Paqueta. Aaron Wan-Bissaka could move to his favourite right-back role and Michail Antonio is expected to replace Niclas Fullkrug up front.
In Manchester City’s camp, Oscar Bobb will be on the bench again as he has been sidelined for several months after undergoing surgery on a fractured leg while Rodri returned to training and is expected to get a few minutes at the London Stadium. Phil Foden is expected to miss out on another match today as he is yet to fully recover from the illness, because of which he even missed a win over Ipswich Town.
Pep Guardiola is expected to stick with Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol in his back four while forward Savinho and Jeremy Doku are expected to retain their places in the starting XI.
Head-to-Head
The defending champions Manchester City have a good historical record against West Ham and have won 64 out of 121 matches played between the two while West Ham won only 38. West Ham United are winless in their last 17 matches against City in the Premier League with their last victory coming by a scoreline of 2-1 away from home in 2015.
Manchester City have scored 42 goals away from home against Wst Ham in the Premier League. City have scored more goals against West Ham than they have scored against any other opponent in the competition. West Ham United have managed to concede at least one goal in each of their last 10 matches at home in the Premier League. Will they be able to repeat the same this time will be interesting to watch pout.
Predicted lineup
West Ham United: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus; Antonio
Manchester City: Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Bernardo; Savinho, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland
When, where, and how to watch the Liverpool vs Brentford match in India?
The West Ham United vs Manchester City Premier League 2024-25 match will be telecast live by Star Sports Network in India. Fans can join the Star Sports Network at 10:00 pm today to watch the game. For those looking for a streaming option, the match will also be streaming live on the Disney+ Hotstar website and app.
Match Prediction
Manchester City with a formidable squad at their disposal will be intend on defending their crown. Last week the star striker Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick against Ipswich Town and will be looking forward to repeat the same today.
On the other hand, West Ham United has the potential to pull off an upset but their recent form in the matches makes it difficult for them to beat the reigning champions. Man City are the better team on paper and should be able to win the match.
Final Scoreline: West Ham United 1-3 Manchester City
West Ham United will host Manchester City at the London Stadium tonight as City looks to keep their winning streak going. Get the latest on team news, lineups, and match insights. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
