West Ham United v Manchester City
Premier League, London Stadium, Saturday 31 August 2024, 5.30pm BST
West Ham United make a return to Premier League action when reigning champions Manchester City visit east London on Saturday.
Having earned their first win of the 2024/25 Premier League season with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, the Hammers made it back-to-back wins when they defeated AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday to seal their place in the Carabao Cup third round, where they have been drawn away to Liverpool.
City sit top of the table on goal difference going into this weekend’s round of fixtures and have won six of the last seven Premier League titles. The Irons, meanwhile, occupy ninth and sit on three points alongside Chelsea, Fulham and Manchester United.
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.
Supporters are urged to arrive early at London Stadium on Saturday as security and ticket checks will be in place at all entry points.
Travel…
There is no planned disruption to TfL Underground services on the Jubilee and Central lines, though there are set to be late night part closures on London Overground, Piccadilly line and Waterloo & City services. Supporters utilising these lines are highly recommended to check their routes before departure.
Stratford and Stratford City Bus Stations are located in close proximity to Stratford Station. Buses that run to these stations are numbers: 25, 86, 97, 104, 108, 158, 241, 257, 262, 276, 308, 425, 473, D8.
c2c services and Greater Anglia services to Stratford will also run as normal.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
There is no parking available at London Stadium. Restrictions will be in place and enforced in the local area.
Moment Of Applause…
There will be a moment of applause held prior to kick-off at London Stadium, in memory of former England and Manchester City manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who passed away on Monday at the age of 76.
The thoughts of everyone at West Ham United are with his loved ones at this sad time.
Official Programme…
Our fourth issue of the season is led by an extensive interview with summer signing Niclas Füllkrug, who features on the bespoke cover illustration, while two of our exciting new feature series continue with Crysencio Summerville and James Ward-Prowse.
We also have Head Coach and captain notes from Julen Lopetegui and Jarrod Bowen respectively, Steve Blowers’ chat to former boxer John H Stracey, while Dutch DJ and music producer Tiësto discusses his visit to London Stadium for love for the Premier League.
How To Follow…
West Ham United’s home Premier League match against Manchester City has been selected for broadcast in the United Kingdom by Sky Sports.
If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of Premier League listings in your territory.
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 on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Team News…
Julen Lopetegui's only potential absentee is likely to be Aaron Cresswell, who suffered a hamstring problem in the warm-up of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory over Bournemouth, so the 34-year-old will be assessed ahead of the Hammers’ clash with Pep Guardiola’s side.
The Spaniard handed full debuts Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jean-Clair Todibo, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Füllkrug on Wednesday, so all four could be in line to start once again.
Visitors Manchester City were without Phil Foden and Rodri for their win over Ipswich Town, and it is yet to be confirmed if the duo will be available for Saturday’s visit to London Stadium.
Opposition…
Manchester City won a fourth consecutive Premier League title in May, becoming the first team in 135 years to do so when they defeated the Hammers 3-1 on the final day of the season at the Etihad Stadium.
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.
Under the guidance of manager Pep Guardiola, City have won the Premier League title in six of the last seven seasons, taking the club to eight Premier Leagues won and ten English championships in total, while also leading the Citizens to an historic treble in 2023, including City’s first ever UEFA Champions League crown.
Norway centre-forward Erling Haaland has been the headline act for City so far this campaign with four goals in two appearances, after 38 goals in 45 appearances last season.
Julián Alvarez, João Cancelo, Sergio Gomez and Taylor Harwood-Bellis are amongst the departures from the Etihad Stadium this summer, while Brazil's Savinho and the returning İlkay Gündoğan have been added to Guardiola’s already star-studded squad.
Previous Meetings...
Saturday’s match will be game number 47 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 29 to West Ham’s nine.
Pep Guardiola’s side proved too much for the Irons both home and away last campaign, with a second half surge seeing the visitors come from behind to win in east London before also scoring in a 3-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium. Phil Foden scored twice, while Rodri was also on the scoresheet that day for City.
Match Officials…
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistant Referees: Stuart Burt and Dan Cook
Fourth Official: James Bell
VAR: Darren England
Assistant VAR: Simon Bennett
Michael Oliver has been named the referee for West Ham United’s Premier League match at home to Manchester City.
Born in Ashington, Northumberland, Oliver was introduced to refereeing by his father, Clive, at the age of 14 and became the youngest referee to officiate at Wembley Stadium when he took charge of the 2007 Conference National play-off final, aged just 22.
He had already become the youngest Football League assistant referee, youngest Football League referee, and would also become the youngest fourth official in the Premier League, taking charge of Birmingham’s top-flight game against Blackburn in 2010/11 when he was 25.
Oliver has refereed two FA Cup finals, the 2018 final between Chelsea and Manchester United and 2021 final between Chelsea and Leicester City, and also took charge of Liverpool and Manchester City's meeting in the Carabao Cup final in 2016 as well as the 2014 Community Shield between Manchester City and Arsenal.
The now 39-year-old, who in addition refereed four matches at the UEFA Euro 2024, is taking charge of his first West Ham United match of the season, having officiated the Hammers’ penultimate fixture of the 2023/24 Premier League season, at home to Luton Town, and the famous 2-0 win over Arsenal in December at the Emirates.
