West Ham vs Man City: Premier League Tips and Bets
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The Premier League is almost back! There is a bright side to the 2022 World Cup being moved from the summer to the winter, and that’s the fact that the gap between the end of the 2021/22 season and the 2022/23 campaign is now far shorter, and we get back underway on August 5th with Arsenal’s visit to Crystal Palace.
Arguably the most interesting fixture of the first gameweek of the season comes in the form of reigning Premier League champions Man City making the trip to London to face West Ham in the Sunday afternoon kick-off.
It’s a fixture that will bring the first weekend of the season to a close and one that resulted in two hard-fought clashes last season, and there may well be another to savour on the cards.
David Moyes Battling to Meet High Expectations
The success David Moyes has brought to the London Stadium in his second spell in charge of the Hammers may well end up being something of a double-edged sword as there is a case to argue that the Scot may not be able to outdo the efforts of the past two campaigns.
When Moyes returned to West Ham back in December 2019, the club was sitting in 17th place, and Manuel Pellegrini was axed, and even though his first game in charge resulted in a 4-0 win over Bournemouth, things didn’t turn around instantly.
It took a strong run in the final four games of the 2019/20 season to secure their Premier League status, and even then, some West Ham fans were not overly ecstatic about the ways things were panning out.
Then in 2020/21, quite against what many would have predicted, Moyes helped West Ham to an astonishing sixth place finish and their highest Premier League points total, and that led to a return to European football.
Last season the club started February in fourth place but couldn’t maintain their form and slipped to a still credible seventh spot as well as a Europa League semi-final.
West Ham has had a busy summer and have spent big to bring in Nayef Aguerd and Gianluca Scamacca to boost their defence and attack deals that cost the club upwards of £60m but perhaps most importantly, Moyes kept hold of the key members of his squad and retains the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Declan Rice, two players who could easily represent sides in the top four.
Are New Look Man City Now Truly Unstoppable?
Man City managed to score an awe-inspiring total of 150 goals in all competitions last season, but many felt they were missing an out-and-out goal-scorer to lead their attack, but that’s been remedied with the capture of Erling Haaland, and frankly, this signing should strike fear into the hearts of any side who thinks they can beat Pep Guardiola’s side to the Premier League title.
City pushed on with efforts to land four trophies last season and had to make do with a Premier League crown, having gotten as far as the semi-finals in both the FA Cup and the Champions League.
With Haaland on hand to finish off City’s attacks, it seems unsurprising that the club is now the favourites to win the Premier League and the Champions League this year. Oh, and don’t forget the signing of Leeds and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, which offers yet more strength to their stunning squad.
Amazingly the club made upwards of £150 million from sales of players from their squad, but Guardiola still has a squad that is absolutely full of world-class talents.
Here are a few wagers that we feel sports betting enthusiasts should consider for this potentially enthralling fixture.
Best Bets
Over 4.5 Goals – 10/3
Man City are always likely to score, and West Ham have a cutting edge in the final third, and as it’s the first game of the season, you can expect defences to struggle to get back into the swing of things. Then there’s the small matter of a certain Erling Haaland, who will no doubt be making his debut in this encounter.
Erling Haaland to Score a Hat-Trick – 9/1
Now the idea of a player scoring a hat-trick on their debut is like something out of a fantasy film, but it’s a serious possibility when you consider just how prolific the young Norwegian international truly is. We are talking about a player who has scored an amazing 115 goals in 116 games over the course of the past three club seasons.
