Premier League

West Ham vs Man City prediction

HINT: Erling Haaland to score 2+ ODDS: 5/2

Manchester City kick off the defence of their Premier League title at West Ham United on Sunday.

Erling Haaland is expected to make his English top flight debut from the start at the London Stadium against a defence that only conceded two fewer than Burnley last season, whom were relegated.

The Norwegian superstar had no problem adapting to the Champions League with Red Bull Salzburg, where he scored in each of his six group stage games, nor did he have any problem settling in at Borussia Dortmund, where he scored a hat-trick within 23 minutes of his debut, and seven in his first three games. You really think he’s going to take time settling in at City?

With playmakers such as Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez around him, the striker should see a couple of chances each game. His running off the ball is excellent, backed by his acceleration. Yes, City will have to play a different style this season, but these world class players won’t have a problem adapting to that.

Pep Guardiola has also added protection to his back four with the arrival of Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United. These two signings along basically mean City have had the best 2022 summer transfer window so far.

Meanwhile, David Moyes has brought in a number of squad players, with Gianluca Scamacca competing with Michail Antonio for a place in the starting lineup. The tall Italian striker will be a useful threat over the course of the season, and has scored some impressive goals, but I wouldn’t expect the former Sassuolo striker to start this one. The game could be out of hand by the time he comes on, if he plays at all.

All-in-all everything points to an away win, but with odds of just 1.40 it’s not great value on Manchester City. The value here is on Erling Haaland. Keep an eye on the starting lineup announcement before placing your bet just to be safe.

Best bet: Erling Haaland to score 2 or more is 5/2 with Bet365