Manchester City’s faint hopes of defending their Premier League title may have been dealt a killer blow last Sunday as the Sky Blues went down to Spurs. It may still be mathematically possible to close the gap at the top but in reality, the trophy will be heading to Liverpool for the first time in 30 years.
City have to focus on consolidating second place and they will get the perfect opportunity to do just that on Sunday when they host struggling West Ham (11.30am ET). The Hammers have slipped into the relegation zone on the back of some poor results and clearly this isn’t the ideal fixture for David Moyes’ men.
Man City vs West Ham Moneyline Odds
This is a game where, as far as the major USA online sportsbooks are concerned, you should be looking at the prop bets if you want any value. Alternatively, you could seek out a modest profit in the moneyline betting where Manchester City are the red-hot favorites at around the -900 mark.
Optimists could look to the draw at +900 while a win for West Ham looks unlikely at around +2000. Pep Guardiola’s men look to be unbackable at that price and, despite that setback in North London last time out, their overall form is impressive. West Ham United haven’t won in their previous five and three defeats in that time have seen the club fall into the Premier League drop zone.
The result looks to be inevitable but it’s the side betting that really draws us to Sunday’s fixture.
Likely Prop Bets
We are focusing on this game because there are a host of prop bets that can give us a profitable 90 minutes. We start with the individual goal scorer betting where, as you would expect, Manchester City players are dominating.
Argentine striker Sergio Aguero is the favorite to open the scoring while his Brazilian teammate Gabriel Jesus is close behind. Bear in mind that coach Guardiola rarely starts both men together so if you are looking to back either one, you may prefer the relative safety of the anytime scorer market.
One man who is likely to make the starting XI is Raheem Sterling. The England international has been in a barren run of scoring form but he has been averaging around a goal every other game across the last 18 months and he is of interest to us this week.
If you are looking to back any player from West Ham in the goal scorer markets, the oddsmakers have Sebastien Haller as the first listed option. The Frenchman hasn’t exactly been prolific since arriving in East London but he would convert at around +1400 for the first goal.
Our round up of popular prop bets starts off with Both Teams to Score and, if you’re voting ‘yes’, this is one of those rare occasions when the odds have a + sign in front of them. West Ham are the key to converting on those numbers and at least they produced three goals in their most recent EPL fixture.
Total Goals options should also be productive here, irrespective of whether West Ham manage to find the net. Betting Over the 2.5 line should be safe but we’ll be going in search of higher odds against the Over 3.5 mark.
Finally, for those brave souls who like a Correct Score bet, the pick that interests us is Manchester City 4 West Ham United 1 which may well start at around the +1100 mark.
MCFC vs WHU Key Battles
This is a tricky section to evaluate: Like the bookies, we are expecting a one-sided afternoon so it’s more about the side bets rather than the actual result. If, however, you are looking to back West Ham to cause an upset, the key will lie in the Hammers defense.
In their last three league matches, David Moyes’ men have conceded nine times. You don’t need to be a ‘mathlete’ to calculate the average of three goals per game and that stat is a major concern going into this fixture. Man City may have been shut out by Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday but there was an element of bad luck in that 0-2 defeat. Anything can happen in a one-off game but West Ham will have to address that leaky defense if they are to compete.
Our Preview’s Man City vs West Ham Predictions & Betting Picks Verdict
The previous sections will have left you in no doubt as to our ultimate verdict. If you like your profits to be tiny ones, we would suggest backing Manchester City for the win as this could be the safest bet of a truncated Premier League weekend.
As for those value prop bets that we have hinted at, Raheem Sterling is overdue a goal and we expect a response from the winger against a weaker team. Both Teams to Score is risky but at a decent -105, it’s worth a punt. Finally, over 3.5 goals should be much safer at smaller odds. These are our Man City vs West Ham Predictions for this preview:
- Raheem Sterling to score the first goal @ +350 with Bovada.
- Both Teams to Score @ evens with Bovada.
- Over 3.5 goals @ -154 with 5Dimes.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.