West Ham United Vs Manchester City
West Ham United Vs Manchester City Sunday, 7 August 2022 – 16:30 (BST)
English Premier League
Pick: West Ham +1.5 Asian Handicap
Odds: 5/6
Bookmaker: 888Sport
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 5 August 2022)
Preview: Jarrod Bowen’s brace in this same fixture very nearly turned last season’s Premier League title race on its head, only for Man City to score a couple of unanswered strikes – while also spurning a late penalty – to salvage a 2-2 draw. Will further drama await when the teams reconvene inside London Stadium?
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Table of Contents
West Ham – Keen to put last season’s late wobble behind them?
Although they flirted with the idea of Champions League football for much of last season, there was actually slight regression in 2021-22 from the Hammers who slipped from sixth place the previous year to seventh. David Moyes’ side were a team for the big occasion though. Particularly here at London Stadium where none of the top four teams (Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and Spurs) got the better of them (W3 D1).
On a far less encouraging note, the Hammers are perennially slow starters, losing their opening fixture in five of the past six seasons. They weren’t exactly surging down the finishing strait last time around either. A routine 4-0 victory against already relegated Norwich represented their sole success across their final seven league games of last season (W1 D2 L4), drawing 2-2 at home to Man City during this run.
Key Stat: No team scored and conceded in a higher proportion of Premier League home games in 2021-22 than West Ham (79%), whose last five top-flight fixtures at London Stadium all featured both teams scoring.
Manchester City – Champions aware of first day warning signs?
Pep Guardiola’s imperious charges successfully retained their league title in 2021-22, meaning they are seeking to complete a third successive campaign top of the Premier League – a feat the club has never before achieved. A word of warning, though, is that three of the past six defending champions went on to lose their opening fixture the following season. Man City being the most recent (1-0 vs Spurs last season).
A 13-game unbeaten sequence against Saturday’s opponents West Ham, winning ten of these contests but only two of the last four, implies they are unlikely to fall foul to the same fate a year on. Then again, they were 2-0 down last time out at the London Stadium before rallying in the second half to claim a 2-2 draw. Helping preserve their long unbeaten away record, which now stands at 18 games (W14 D4).
Key Stat: Man City have lost just one of their previous 28 Premier League games (W23 D4) and are without defeat across the last 12 (W9 D3), since a 3-2 defeat at home to West Ham’s London rivals Tottenham Hotspurs back in February.
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West Ham United Vs Manchester City Betting Advice
While recent history tells us it can be beneficial facing the reigning English champions on Matchday 1, with three of the last six Premier League winners losing their opening fixture the following season, try telling this to West Ham. The Hammers recent record during the opening weekend is extremely poor, recording five losses in a row prior to a 4-2 win away at Newcastle United last season.
West Ham Vs Manchester City – Key Facts:
- Although they haven’t suffered a Premier League defeat to West Ham in 13 matches (W10 D3), Man City would only win two of the last four encounters between the sides – and none of the last three held at London Stadium in all competitions (D3).
- West Ham lost just five times at home in the Premier League last term (W9 D5), with each of these losses coming by a single goal. Six of Man City’s 14 away league wins last season were by a one goal margin.
- Each of the previous two Premier League meetings at London Stadium produced the same HT/FT outcome: West Ham leading at half-time but the match ending in a draw.
Man City were also the most efficient travelling team in last season’s top-flight. Yet they haven’t enjoyed recent visits to East London, held to three consecutive draws (twice in the league (1-1 and 2-2) and losing on penalties in the EFL Cup after a goalless draw in 90 minutes). In fact, none of last season’s top four won here. Meanwhile all five home defeats in 2021-22 came by the slenderest of margins (all by one goal).
Best Betting Odds – West Ham United Vs Manchester City
West Ham – 15/2 (WilliamHill)
Draw – 17/4 (Bet365)
Manchester City – 4/11 (Coral)
