Manchester City will begin their quest for a third Premier League title with a difficult away match against West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Last season, West Ham finished seventh, two points behind Manchester United in sixth place. Jarrod Bowen was one of last season’s revelations, scoring twice to hold Manchester City to a draw in this same match last year.
Others capable of influencing the game include captain Declan Rice and the unstoppable Michail Antonio. As David Moyes assembles a star-studded squad, new signings Nayef Aguerd from Stade Rennais and Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo are expected to make an impact.
It will, however, be business as usual for Manchester City, who have dominated the Premier League in the last few seasons under Pep Guardiola.
Manchester City is also on the lookout for a replacement for Oleksandr Zinchenko who has joined Arsenal. The search continues as City refused to meet Brighton’s price for Marc Cucurella who has joined Chelsea instead.
Guardiola traditionally lines up in a 4-3-3 formation. With players of considerable technical ability in every position, the team is unique in its fluidity as they pass the other team into submission.
Against Liverpool in the Community Shield, Manchester City lined up as Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Joao Cancelo; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne; Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez
Team Injuries to Consider
Aymeric Laporte is the only one on Manchester City’s injury list after undergoing surgery on his knee. He has been ruled out for the fixture.
Predicted Manchester City Starting Lineup
Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Joao Cancelo; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne; Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez
Current Odds: West Ham United vs Manchester City
Sky Bet predicts the odds at 15/2 for a win to West Ham, 17/4 for a draw, and 1/3 for Manchester City to win.
They have allowed the transfer of Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal and Raheem Sterling to Chelsea, bringing in Norwegian goal-scoring machine Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund as a replacement. Julian Alvarez is another new face in the squad after he was loaned back to River Plate for the second half of last season.
City also signed the hardworking Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United, but they may lose another midfielder as Barcelona is reportedly interested in Bernardo Silva. The player is said to be interested in moving to Spain, and a bid is expected if the Spanish giants can sort out their finances.
Leave a Reply