West Ham United Vs. Manchester City: The Hammers' Effort Ends Bad Record Over The Citizen

Niclas F\"ullkrug, the Hammers' new ammunition to tame Pep Guardiola's side (photo: x @WestHam)

JAKARTA - West Ham United will host defending Premier League champions Manchester City at London Stadium on Saturday 31 August. This match is a big challenge for Julen Lopetegui's troops who have just won their first win of the season.

After starting the season with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa, West Ham got up and won 2-0 over Crystal Palace. Tomas Soucek and captain Jarrod Bowen scored to give Lopetegui their first win. This victory also stops West Ham's poor record of never having won a clean sheet in the last 19 Premier League games.

In the last match, West Ham managed to advance to the third round of the EFL Cup by beating Bournemouth 1-0 at home. However, this victory could not be separated from controversy, as the winning goal scored by Mohammed Kudus should have been ruled out if VAR was used.

Against Manchester City, West Ham will try to break their poor record of never winning in their last 17 Premier League meetings. The last time the Hammers beat City came in September 2015 at the Etihad Stadium with a score of 2-1.

Manchester City started the season brilliantly, beating Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and Ipswich Town 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland starred with four goals in two games, including a hat-trick against Ipswich.

Although Man City are known as a slowly hot team under Pep Guardiola, they have recorded a win in 11 consecutive Premier League games with a margin of two or more. City also had an impressive record in their away game against West Ham, where they were unbeaten in their last nine visits to London Stadium since their 2-1 loss at Upton Park in October 2014.

Meanwhile Lopetegui had to face injury problems with Aaron Cresswell's absence from a hamstring injury. Emerson Palmieri will most likely replace Cresswell on the left back, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who performed brilliantly in the EFL Cup, will probably return to right-back position.

In midfield, Edson Alvarez, Tomas Soucek, and Guido Rodriguez compete for a place at the starting XI. Meanwhile, Kudus, Lucas Paqueta, and Michail Antonio will most likely be called back to attack. While Niclas F\"ullkrug, the Hammers' new ammunition, will lurk from the bench to play in the second half.

From the Citizen side, Pep Guardiola still has to wait for a decision regarding Rodri and Phil Foden's fitness. Rodri returned to training this week and could appear for the first time this season. Foden, who missed Ipswich due to illness, is also expected to recover on time.

In the back lines, Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol will most likely be maintained. Savinho and Jeremy Doku, who impressed in the previous match, could start again, accompany Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland on the front lines.

The match is expected to be fierce, with Manchester City as a favorite to get the three points, but West Ham will try to put up a fierce fight in front of their own supporters.

Player Composition Predictions:

West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus; Antonio.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Bernardo; Savinho, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland.