Manchester City travel to West Ham on Saturday to take on one of the biggest surprises of the first month of the Premier League season. With a record of 3-1-0, West Ham is one of four EPL teams — alongside Tottenham, Liverpool, and Arsenal — with 10 points through four matches. After drawing Bournemouth in their opener, West Ham have beaten Chelsea, Brighton, and Luton Town.
Despite West Ham’s early-season success, they’re massive underdogs on Saturday against City, who have outscored their first four opponents 11-2.
In Gaming Today’s breakdown of West Ham vs. Manchester City predictions, odds, and props, we go over what to expect as West Ham look to become the first Premier League team this season to challenge the reigning league champs.
Betting Odds for Saturday’s West Ham vs. Manchester City Match
Here are West Ham vs. Manchester City betting lines available on top sports betting apps. The odds here reflect the three-way moneyline, where a bet on either team to win is a loss if the game is tied after 90 minutes. West Ham are heavy underdogs at . City are the clear favorites at . The draw is currently set at .
Also read: Premier League Golden Boot odds | Premier League team futures odds | Champions League futures odds
West Ham Roster, Injuries, and Betting News
West Ham followed two impressive seasons (they finished 6th in the EPL in ’20-21 and 7th in ’21-22) with a 14th-place finish in ’22-23, then lost their best player, Declan Rice, over the summer. But Manager David Moyes has his team off to a strong start, including big wins over both Brighton and Chelsea. Despite being tied for second place, West Ham is currently to win the Premier League, and to finish top-4.
Oddsmakers have their doubts about West Ham despite the strong results on paper. One explanation for that could be the fact that West Ham have lost the xG battle in three of their first four games. Still, West Ham are intriguing after using the money from Rice’s exit to add defender Konstantinos Mavropanos and midfielders James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez, as well as promising 23-year-old striker Mohammed Kudus. The latter is yet to see significant minutes but is expected to quickly make an impact alongside Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio.
Injuries
West Ham will likely be without starting right back Vladimir Coufal due to a minor injury he suffered last week on international duty. They are expected to otherwise be at full strength.
Manchester City Roster, Injuries, and Betting News
Manchester City appear well on their way to another dominant season, both domestically and in Europe. In wins over Burnley, Newcastle, Sheffield United, and Fulham to begin this year, City have been pushed by both Sheffield and Newcastle, but they still look like the top team in the league by a considerable margin. Oddsmakers agree. After just four matches of a 38-match campaign, Pep Guardiola’s team is currently to once again win the Premier League.
City have the most dangerous offensive player in the world in 23-year-old Erling Haaland. And even after losing Kevin de Bruyne (who is out with a long-term hamstring injury) and dealing with the summer departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez, they boast more dangerous attacking pieces than any team in Europe. The likes of Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, and Julian Alvarez guarantee that even on the rare days when the opposition can keep Haaland quiet, this team has no difficulty scoring.
City have also allowed fewer goals than anyone in the Premier League in the last few years. With the addition over the summer of 21-year-old Croatian star Josko Gvardiol, City have more quality defenders on their bench for most games than a lot of teams have in their starting lineup. In addition to Gvardiol, Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, John Stones, and Ruben Dias would all be first-choice starters on any other squad.
No team could weather the loss of a player like de Bruyne, but City have fared well without him since his injury in the season opener.
Injuries
De Bruyne is likely going to be sidelined until January. Stones has not played in the EPL yet this season but is expected to return to the line-up soon, possibly this weekend. Jack Grealish (thigh) could also be limited or unavailable after suffering an injury before his team’s win over Fulham on Sept. 2.
West Ham vs. Manchester City Props
Below is a sampling of betting props for West Ham vs. Manchester City:
Anytime Goalscorer (FanDuel):
- Erling Haaland: -140
- Julian Alvarez: +140
- Phil Foden: +185
- Mohammed Kudus, Bernardo Silva: +430
- Michail Antonio: +460
- Jarrod Bowen: +550
Correct Score (FanDuel):
- West Ham 1-0: +2300
- West Ham 2-0: +4200
- West Ham 2-1: +2000
- Manchester City 1-0: +800
- Manchester City 2-0: +700
- Manchester City 2-1: +700
- 0-0: +1800
- 1-1: +850
Total Goal Props (FanDuel):
- Over 0.5 goals -3500, Under 0.5 goals: +1650
- Over 1.5 goals -650, Under 1.5 goals: +430
- Over 2.5 goals -189, Under 2.5 goals: +140
- Over 3.5 goals +148, Under 3.5 goals: -182
West Ham vs. Manchester City Prediction: West Ham 1, Manchester City 3
Based on their possession statistics, West Ham will attempt to pull off something even harder than merely beating Man City: beating them while ceding possession. The Hammers managed to upset Chelsea and Brighton despite rarely having the ball (25% possession against Chelsea and 22% against Brighton, both 3-1 wins). In fact, in four games, West Ham have had 38% possession or less in all but their last match against promoted side Luton Town.
Hot take: If City have the majority of the ball, they’re going to find a way to break down any back line, especially a group like West Ham’s foursome of Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Emerson Palmieri, and Vladimir Coufal. West Ham are a solid team that will keep this close for at least a half, but City are too solid in the midfield and across their back line — and too accustomed to opponents attempting to sit back and beat them via the counter — to get beat on the counter the way Chelsea and Brighton were.
Here are a few bets available at DraftKings that are worth checking out:
- Parlay: Manchester City Win, Over 2.5 Goals (+105)
- Halftime/Full Time: Manchester City/Manchester City (+115)
West Ham vs. Manchester City Broadcast Info: Where to Watch
- Date/Time: Saturday, September 16, 10:00 a.m. ET
- Location: London Stadium
Watch this match at one of the following:
- USA Network
- Universo
- Fubo
- DirecTV Stream
- Sling Blue
- Sling Latino
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