West Ham United v Manchester City
Premier League, London Stadium, Saturday 16 September 2023, 3pm BST
West Ham United return to Premier League action following the international break against reigning champions Manchester City.
Saturday’s outing at London Stadium will put two of the division’s early in-form sides against each other as the Hammers – with three wins and one draw so far in the Premier League – face a City side who have won all four of their league matches so far.
As such City sit top of the table going into this weekend’s round of fixtures and have won five of the last six Premier League titles. The Irons, meanwhile, occupy fourth and sit on ten points alongside Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Tickets…
Tickets for this sold out game are still available on the Ticket Exchange, with Season Ticket Holders who cannot attend this fixture relisting their seats for other supporters to buy. Click here to check availability or relist.
Travel…
TfL Jubilee and Elizabeth line services are scheduled to operate to Stratford with a good service on Saturday.
Supporters who use the Central Line should note that disruption is expected to its service on Saturday, with longer than usual gaps between trains.
These trains will be busier than normal, and supporters are advised to use alternative routes, such as the Elizabeth Line or the District and Jubilee Lines. Visit www.tfl.gov.uk to plan your journey
The Docklands Light Railway will not have service between Bank and Tower Gateway, and Poplar and West India Quay, with replacement bus services in operation.
Part closures are also anticipated across the District and Piccadilly lines, as well as the London Overground, and fans are advised to check their journey before travelling to Saturday’s fixture.
c2c services and Greater Anglia services to Stratford will also run as normal.
Click here to plan your journey on the Transport for London network, or here for National Rail services.
How To Follow…
Saturday's 3pm kick-off will NOT be broadcast live in the UK, but will be shown across the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle across our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Official Programme…
You can order your edition of the Official Programme for West Ham United v Manchester City now here!
The 116-page publication is the largest in the Premier League and, at just £4 per issue, represents superb value for money for supporters wanting exclusive interviews, attention-grabbing opinions and eye-catching photographs, plus the regular news, columns and statistics and insightful content from across all areas of the Club.
Saturday's issue for the visit of Manchester City features an in-depth interview and analysis of new signing Mohammed Kudus, features with Jarrod Bowen and Thilo Kehrer, interviews with Ian Bishop and George Earthy, and much, much, much more!
The Official Programme is the definitive Claret and Blue publication for West Ham fans and the latest issue can be ordered here.
Team News...
Manager David Moyes will be hoping the lengthy list of Hammers on international duty in the last week return to the Rush Green training ground without knocks from their time away.
New defender Konstantinos Mavropanos had been dealing with a minor injury prior to the international break but the centre-back was in fine form for Greece, scoring twice in a 5-0 win over Gibraltar on Saturday.
Manchester City, meanwhile, will definitely be without the influential Kevin De Bruyne. The playmaker is anticipated to miss a number of months after a hamstring injury in the opening day win against Burnley.
John Stones has also been absent with a hip injury but there is hope in the City camp that the England defender will return in time for Saturday's fixture.
Jack Grealish was forced to withdraw from international duty, due to a thigh injury, but could be back in time to play against the Hammers.
Manager Pep Guardiola returned to England this week after recuperating from back surgery in his native Spain.
Opposition…
How do you stop the juggernaut that is Manchester City FC?
It is a question that the majority of football’s most tactical and intelligent minds have struggled to crack over the last decade, and it is one that has only got harder in recent seasons.
Under the guidance of manager Pep Guardiola, City have won the Premier League title in five of the last six seasons, taking the club to seven Premier Leagues won and nine English championships in total.
City have also won seven FA Cups, with three of those being claimed in the last 12 seasons, and eight EFL Cups, with six of them claimed in the last decade.
And, of course, the Citizens claimed the UEFA Champions League for the very first time last season, becoming only the second team in Premier League history to win a treble of trophies in a single season.
To say City have therefore been the dominant force in English football in recent years could therefore be argued as the understatement of the century so far. Concerningly for their nearest rivals and, indeed, the rest of the Premier League, they show no signs of slowing down.
What has become evident, and makes their continued success even more impressive, is the reinvention of the team every couple of years by manager Guardiola. A focus around new striker Haaland last season was different to anything done by the Spanish coach at the Etihad Stadium before. But, again, it worked.
A glimmer of hope for other sides is the departure of experienced winners from City’s squad, such as İlkay Gündoğan’s move to Barcelona and switches to Saudi Arabia for Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez.
With places to fill in the squad, City have opted for some of Europe’s most promising prospects. Croatia international centre- back Joško Gvardiol has joined from RB Leipzig, while Belgian winger Jérémy Doku has been signed from Stade Rennais. Further midfield resources have been secured in Gvardiol's compatriot Mateo Kovačić and Portugal midfielder Matheus Nunes from Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers, respectively.
While the cogs in the machine may have been changed, though, the Manchester City machine rolls on.
Previous Meetings…
Saturday’s match will be game number 45 between West Ham United and Manchester City in the Premier League.
Given City’s status on both the domestic and European stage in the last 15 years or so, it will not be the biggest surprise to learn that the visitors to London Stadium have the larger number of victories in this fixture, picking up 27 to West Ham’s nine.
Pep Guardiola’s side proved too much for the Irons both home and away last campaign, with Erling Haaland striking twice at London Stadium in a 2-0 win on his Premier League debut before also scoring in a 3-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium. Nathan Aké and Phil Foden got the other goals that day for City.
The Irons did end City’s four-year dominance in the Carabao Cup in October 2021, beating the holders on penalties in the fourth round, marking their first loss in the tournament since 2016.
West Ham’s last Premier League win over City came in September 2015 when the Irons, led by Slaven Bilic, secured a 2-1 away win thanks to finishes from Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho. A last home league win over City was secured in October 2014, with Sakho also scoring that day too along with Morgan Amalfitano.
Match Officials…
Referee: Andy Madley
Assistant Referees: Harry Lennard & Nick Hopton
Fourth Official: Thomas Bramall
VAR: Darren Bond
Assistant VAR: Scott Ledger
Andy Madley will be the man in the middle when West Ham United welcome Manchester City to London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Madley, a 40-year-old referee from Huddersfield, has been on the Select Group 1 Referees list since 2019 and notably officiated the EFL League One Play-Off final between Preston North End and Swindon Town in 2015, and the 2019 Play-Off final between Charlton Athletic and Sunderland.
Having made his Premier League debut as a referee in the 2017/18 campaign, Madley has served mainly as a Premier League official since 2019/20 and has taken charge of three league matches so far this campaign; Newcastle’s opening day win over Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion’s victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the draw between Sheffield United and Everton.
Madley took charge of one West Ham Premier League game last season, when the Irons were beaten 2-1 away at Chelsea last September.
Click through here for more information on this Saturday’s officials.
