‘I can see…’ – Paul Merson predicts result of Man City clash Vs West Ham this weekend

Manchester City will take on West Ham in their opening game of the brand new season on Sunday (7 August), where Pep Guardiola will be looking to get a positive result away from home.

While Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions have signed Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Kalvin Phillips, the Hammers have added depth and quality to their ranks as well.

Paul Merson, while writing his column for Sportskeeda, has predicted a 1-1 draw for this game.

“This is a hard Premier League game for both teams. Manchester City employ a strong press, and this game could work out well for West Ham, with the way they play on the counter,” wrote Merson from Sportskeeda.

“It’s too early to say anything about Erling Haaland. He’s not a 27-year-old coming into the big boys’ league. He’s still a young kid who’s done well everywhere he’s been.

“West Ham are going to have 11 men behind the ball, and I’m not sure where Haaland’s power and pace will fit in there. When was the last time somebody scored a 1v1 for Man City? It’s very rare. I think he’s going to score a lot of Premier League goals because he plays for Manchester City, but they’ll be different to the goals he’s scored for Borussia Dortmund and Norway.

“I like Julian Alvarez as well – he’s a different kind of player. The only problem – when is he going to play? City do play a lot of football matches, and he’ll need to take his chances.

“I think Manchester City are slightly weaker than they were last season. Between Jesus and Sterling, you knew you were getting at least 25 goals every season. With Haaland and Alvarez, who knows? They could have 30 Premier League goals before Christmas, but they’ll need to prove their mettle.

“I remember this game in the Premier League last year. Man City had all of the ball, and West Ham pulled off counter after counter. I think this game will end in a draw, and I say that only because I can see how this game’s going to pan out.”