After four games of the new Premier League soccer season, defending champions Manchester City are the only club with maximum points. Pep Guardiola’s men have that perfect record of four straight league wins, but Saturday’s game (10am ET; 3pm BST) may offer their toughest test to date.
City travel to West Ham to face a Hammers side who are also unbeaten, and currently sit in fourth place with ten points. It could be a tight and entertaining 90 minutes, but where are the points heading? This WHUFC vs MCFC preview, with its picks and EPL game betting predictions, plans to answer that.
The form guide may point to a close match, but Manchester City will go into this game as clear favorites on the moneyline. The best industry odds on an away win stand at just 1/2 while victory for West Ham United is out at a top price of 6/1. Sandwiched in between is the draw which is on offer at a best of 19/5.
Neither team has experienced defeat in the Premier League so far. There was a feeling that West Ham might struggle after the departure of their skipper Declan Rice, but David Moyes’ men remain unbeaten after four games. Following a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on the opening weekend, the Hammers have three straight wins against Chelsea, Brighton and Luton, and three of those matches have been away from home.
Manchester City have beaten Burnley, Newcastle United, Sheffield United and Fulham at the start of this campaign. It’s an impressive run, but the form guide suggests this could be their toughest game of the season so far.
Erling Haaland has carried his Golden Boot winning form into the new season, and the Norwegian striker will start as the clear favorite to open the scoring. Haaland is available at best industry odds of 13/5 in the first goalscorer market, while his strike partner Julian Alvarez follows at 11/2. MCFC players dominate the early stages of this market with Jeremy Doku and Oscar Bobb next at a best of 9/1. Behind the main strikers, Jack Grealish could be a tempting option at his top price of 12/1.
For West Ham United, their first player in this market is Danny Ings at 11/1, while Jarrod Bowen is another tempering candidate at best odds of 14/1. Moving away from the players, Both Teams to Score is quoted for this fixture at 4/6 in many places. If you prefer to take the ‘no’ option on BTTS, this is available at best odds of 6/5.
Turning to the Total Combined Goals markets, a stake Over the 2.5 line is quoted at 4/7. If we push that to Above 3.5 goals, the figures climb to 29/20. Those who are expecting a quieter afternoon at the London Stadium could look at Under 2.5 goals at a general 11/8.
We’ll finish the side markets with some Correct Score suggestions. The figures that we’ve seen so far suggest that Manchester City will win a high-scoring encounter, so you could consider the 3-1 away win which is available at best odds of 11/1. A 2-1 win for West Ham can be backed at a top price of 20/1, while the 2-2 draw is quoted at a best of 16/1.
Our Preview’s WHU vs MCFC Predictions & Betting Picks Verdict
While they are not unbeatable, Manchester City are clearly the stronger side and they are obvious favorites for this game. However, it is surprising to see them as short as 1/2 and, if you are looking to get behind the away side, there is little value in that figure.
The draw is certainly a tempter. West Ham have enjoyed a positive start to the season, and they have beaten strong sides in Chelsea and Brighton. It is still early in the campaign, so maybe we shouldn’t get carried away by looking at a share of the points.
Instead, we will focus on the side markets for Saturday’s game. With strong firepower in both camps, this should be a high scorer. Man City have scored 11 times in their first four games, while the Hammers have found the net on nine occasions.
For the betting tips, we will start with over 3.5 goals. For an anytime scorer, this preview fancies Jarrod Bowen. The West Ham forward has already scored three times in four league games this season, and is a generous option to find the net. So the betting picks and predictions, at best odds, for this WHU vs MCFC preview are:
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.