Happy return from international break everyone! With just one night’s slate of intl matches left, tomorrow night, it’s time to preview the next Premier League weekend already. And there is no bigger match this weekend than West Ham United hosting Manchester City; a match-up of fourth versus first.
Everyone expected Man City to be topping the table at this point; it’s not surprising. But how many people expected West Ham to be sitting in a UEFA Champions League qualification slot at this point? Not many to be certain!
West Ham vs Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Sept. 16, 3pm, London Stadium, London, UK
Starting XI Predictions Manchester City West Ham
Team News: Manchester City West Ham
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Position, Form: Manchester City 1st, 12 pts, WWWW West Ham 4th, 10 pts, WWWD
Google Result Probability: Manchester City 65% Draw 20% West Ham 15%
You got to credit manager David Moyes, and his bosses at the club, for what they have been able to do so far in navigating life after Declan Rice. They have invested the money that came in return for selling their team captain quite wisely. Moyes has found the winning hand in midfield.
Let’s take a look at what that might look like, as they attempt to slow down Erling Haaland and company.
West Ham United Starting XI Prediction vs Manchester City
Alphonse Areola; Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Emerson Palmieri; Tomas Soucek, James Ward-Prowse; Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Said Benrahma; Michail Antonio
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.