West Ham United vs Manchester City: EPL Predictions & Best Bets (8/31)

We have tons of College Football on Saturday, but we can’t forget about the English Premier League as well! Plenty of English Football is happening this weekend, and we’ve got to dive into the best matchups on the pitch. Saturday features quite the showdown, as West Ham United hosts Manchester City at London Stadium.

City is off to a hot start, winning both matches while allowing just 1 goal overall and scoring 6 of their own. West Ham were stunned by Aston Villa at home in the final minutes in their first match of the season, but bounced back and got a road win against Crystal Palace last weekend. They certainly have their work cut out for them, facing a Manchester City squad that knows they need as many points as possible with a point deduction penalty likely looming over their heads.

Can they handle business on the road in London? Or will West Ham pull off this big upset?

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West Ham vs Manchester City: Saturday Match Day

Matchup Information – West Ham vs Manchester City

• Venue & Location: London Stadium (London, England)
• Date: Saturday, August 31st, 2024
• Kick Off: 12:30pm Eastern
• Broadcast: NBC

Betting Odds

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Money Line

• West Ham +638
• Draw +456
• Manchester City -256

Spread

• West Ham +1.5 (-120)
• Manchester City -1.5 (+100)

Total

• Over 3 (-136)
• Under 3 (+113)

How Will West Ham Defend Home Field?

West Ham will have their work cutout for them, as it always is facing Manchester City. While we don’t have the official lineups out quite yet, we can imagine City will be playing their studs. Even if they sit some stars, the backups are plenty capable of getting the job done. West Ham played a tough first match against Aston Villa, conceding in the 4th minute and giving up a winner in the 79th minute. Their goal came from a PK, but they were able to produce 5 corners and 14 total attempts. Although Crystal Palace won the possession battle, West Ham was able to put up 18 attempts and net 2 goals for a 2-0 shutout win.

West Ham’s best shot at winning this game, is somehow holding Manchester City scoreless. That simply isn’t going to happen, but they can’t risk getting too aggressive on offense. Manchester City has one of the best counter attacks in Europe, and when teams become obsessed with outscoring them, they tend to give up easy goals on the other end. Chelsea were able to produce 5 corners against City with nothing to show for it, except a 2-nil loss. Man City dominated Ipswich last weekend and they should have no problem rolling that momentum over to face West Ham on the road.

West Ham is outmanned, they know it, we know it, it’s no secret. Just look at who they are playing. Manchester City is taking no prisoners on their way to another EPL Title, and I think they make very light business of anyone who stands in their way not named Arsenal or Liverpool. City should run the league again, and I don’t think West Ham will put up much of an offensive fight at all. Last season we saw Manchester City win twice, 3-1 both times. The year prior, they shutout West Ham both matches, winning 3-0 at home and 2-0 on the road. I see a similar story this weekend in London.

West Ham vs Manchester City Best Bets

West Ham vs Manchester City Prediction: Man City Wins 2-0 (+850), 3-0 (+1000)

Best Bet: Manchester City to Keep a Clean Sheet (+150) BetOnline

If you want to add Manchester City ML to this for 15 extra cents, be my guest because it is probably hitting. However, I can’t believe they are +150 to keep a clean sheet against West Ham. Sure, they’ve scored 4 goals in 3 matches in all competitions this season, and Ipswich found the back of the net against City last weekend, but that won’t be enough. Manchester City is out for blood this year, and I think they roll over West Ham as if they were an English League Championship squad.

Again, Manchester City likely wins this game, but I am not going to be greedy and assume their defense will shutout West Ham on Saturday. This line makes negative sense to me, and if it’s bait, I’ll happily fall into this trap. West Ham’s offense is nowhere near talented enough to produce chances against Manchester City, as I see them chasing the ball most of the match anyways. Vegas clearly thinks there will be plenty of goals in this game with a total sitting at 3 juiced to the over. However I must have less faith in the West Ham offense, which shouldn’t be that entertaining on Saturday.

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