Julen Lopetegui looks for his first win at the London Stadium as West Ham United manager, as the Irons host reigning champions Manchester City this weekend.
The Spaniard replaced David Moyes over the summer and picked up his first three points in the Premier League with a fine display away against Crystal Palace – goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen ensuring a 2-0 victory on the road across London.
Now, the champions come to town. Pep Guardiola could be entering his managerial swansong at the Etihad, but will be looking to add a fifth consecutive Premier League title to his cabinet before walking away from English football, and a win in the capital before the international break stands City in good stead, having notoriously begun previous years slowly.
It’s Lopetegui’s Euskaldunak Irons against Guardiola’s swashbuckling Citizens in a clash at the London Stadium. Read on, as we preview this weekend’s action.
Pre-match form
West Ham can be forgiven for heading into this one as underdogs given their lukewarm start to the new campaign. While three points against Palace was a fantastic result to life under the new manager, the defeat at home on the opening weekend to Aston Villa will have left a bitter taste in the mouth given the chances missed.
While City come in as favourites and command the odds on most free bet sign-up offers, over the years West Ham have been a thorn in the side of the big six and that will need to continue again under Lopetegui.
There was enough encouragement from the 2-1 loss to Villa – a side that will be playing in the Champions League next season after finishing fourth under Unai Emery – to suggest that they could give the visitors a game when backed up from the east London faithful.
City have won both their games despite a nervy start at home to Ipswich Town last weekend. The Tractor boys went 1-0 up at the Etihad in the seventh minute but City inevitably showed their class in a 4-1 win – Erling Haaland grabbing his tenth hattrick in English football.
The opening day also looked like it would be a challenge away against Chelsea, but a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge showcased the gap in managerial quality between Guardiola and his former assistant Enzo Maresca, who has the unenviable task of trying to field an 11 and subs from a squad that now consists of over 50 players.
Key players
West Ham: Max Kilman
Bowen was once again pivotal in linking attack and defence for West Ham, but Max Kilman stole the show against Palace with his marauding display at centre-back, and the Englishman will need to do so again if he wants to keep Haaland at bay.
Kilman, a summer arrival from Wolverhampton Wanderers, was a key component in Lopetegui’s side at Molineux, and no doubt eyebrows were turned when he joined the Irons for £40 million – a high price to pay for a player that turns 28 at the end of the season.
However, Kilman has shown composure in playing out of the back, and his line-breaking pass to Bowen was crucial in creating the second goal at Selhurst Park. The pressure is now on him to replicate that display against City, where there will be more defensive responsibility and less space to play passes in behind.
City: Jeremy Doku
Haaland was the obvious choice for City, but Jeremy Doku’s battle with Aaron Wan-Bissaka could, in some ways, be season-defining for the Belgian.
Doku has struggled to consistently hold down a place in the City side, often having to make an impact from the bench, and a return to fitness for Jack Grealish, coupled with summer signings Savinho and İlkay Gündoğan providing Guardiola with greater tactical options, the winger will need a big performance in order to keep his spot after the international break.
City have been known to begin seasons slowly, dropping early points in the title race and then clawing them back come the business end, but if Doku can shut down a full-back as good as Wan-Bissaka in one-on-one situations, he could prove that he has what it takes to be a big player this term.
Prediction:
This game will provide an interesting insight to how West Ham set up against the big boys throughout the campaign. Lopetegui was crushed by a Haaland hat-trick when his Wolves side were beaten 3-0 by City in January 2023, and that game will surely have been a learning curve for the Spaniard, who will know to be cautious and wait for his chances on the break.
City have dropped points before the first international break before, and West Ham’s ability to score goals will give them the belief that they can cause an upset in front of the home crowd, although victory against a side that is unbeaten in the Premier League since last December.
Full time: West Ham 1-2 City
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