Saturday 24th November 1500hrs West Ham United v Manchester City Football – England – Premier League The international break is over and club football will take centre stage once again, at least until March of next year. We’re now getting to the stage of the season where seasons will be shaped with the busiest period upon us. It starts with a meeting of old friends at the London Stadium on Saturday as Manuel Pellegrini faces his old club for the first time since leaving City in 2015. Although fondly remembered by the supporters having led them to the title, it’s all about three points this weekend. Continue reading for a match preview of West Ham United against Manchester City with a selected best betting tip.
If speculation was to be believed at the beginning of the season then Pellegrini could well have been out of a job following a dismal start to his tenure as West Ham’s boss. The Irons lost their first four games in the Premier League and if it wasn’t for their 3-1 win away to Everton then they could well have been looking for a new manager. As it is, Pellegrini has managed to stabilise the team and although with plenty of improvement required, they are beginning to creep up towards mid table which would have been a realistic target in his first season. Their form going into the international break was decent enough with a win over Burnley at home followed by a draw away to Huddersfield. The latter was probably a game they should have won with the chances they had in the second half but it now means they have lost only of their last five away games in all competitions. They now have to be able to transfer that into their home form which has been an area of concern ever since moving to the new stadium.
Manchester City fans would have thoroughly enjoyed the international break as it gave them even longer to gloat over their derby win against United last time out. A 3-1 score line probably doesn’t do their dominance justice as it was the perfect illustration as to where both clubs currently are. Whilst the supporters would have been delighted at getting one over on their rivals, Pep Guardiola would just have been happy to maintain their slender lead at the top of the table over Liverpool. Despite being unbeaten and only dropping points in two of their 12 league games thus far, the champions know they have a bigger challenge on their hands this time around compared to last season and will have to keep up this level of form. The derby win means it’s now seven straight wins in all competitions and they’ve scored 26 in that spell. With qualification to the next stage of the Champions League virtually assured it gives them a real focus to extend their winning run domestically and try to put more distance between themselves and the chasing pack. We know there will be no let up from Guardiola who will be demanding his team hit the ground running now the international break is over.
West Ham United v Manchester City Betting Tip
Since the beginning of last season we know that if Manchester City are on their game and playing at their best then it’s extremely likely they’ll finish the match with all three points. The chinks of hope for West Ham are that the two games where their opponents have dropped points this season have been away from home, against Wolves and Liverpool. The Hammers will also take confidence from their win over the other Manchester club and holding Chelsea to a goalless draw earlier in the campaign. It’s proven they can compete at home against the better teams in the league which hasn’t always been their case since moving to the stadium.
Their form between the last two international breaks indicated that City were really beginning to motor and find a level of form that arguably surpasses their efforts from last season. It’s ominous for the other 19 clubs and more pressingly, West Ham. Pellegrini was adored by the City supporters during his time at the club and plenty disagreed with how his departure was handled as Guardiola was announced with months of the season remaining. There is no doubting that Pep has taken the club forward massively, however, and Saturday’s game presents another chance to illustrate just how good his players are. City have enjoyed their visits to this stadium and I’m keen on them to do so once again. You won’t get rich backing the away win at prohibitive odds but City are averaging more than three goals a game in the league and them to win and there to be at least three goals in the game is a solid bet at the London Stadium.
Selection: Manchester City to win and Over 2.5 goals in the game 4/6 @ Ladbrokes
