"Will be too strong for them in the end" - Chris Sutton makes prediction for West Ham vs Manchester City

Pundit Chris Sutton has backed Manchester City to get past the challenge of West Ham United at the London Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, September 16.

The Cityzens have started the quest for an unprecedented four-peat in brilliant fashion, winning their four league games. They have beaten Burnley, Newcastle United, Sheffield United and Fulham.

West Ham, meanwhile, are also unbeaten and are fourth in the points table, two points behind leaders Manchester City (12). They drew at Bournemouth in their opening game but beat Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Luton Town.

In his column for the BBC, Sutton predicted a win for City but explained that it would be a hard-fought one:

"Manchester City are going to completely control possession in this game, but West Ham boss David Moyes won't care about that. The Hammers will just be sitting back and waiting to spring forward, and they are very good at that."

He added:

"Moyes is great at what he does in games like this, which is setting up his side to keep their shape and be hard to break down. Yes, it's very different to Pep Guardiola's attacking philosophy, but these sort of differences in tactics are part of what makes football so fascinating."

"I still think City will be too strong for them in the end, but they are going to have to work hard to maintain their 100% start."

Prediction: West Ham 1-2 Manchester City

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Kyle Walker opens up on captaining Manchester City

The Cityzens are yet to choose a permanent captain after Ilkay Gundogan's move to Barcelona in the summer. Kyle Walker has captained the squad for the first few weeks, with Kevin De Bruyne out due to injury.

In an interview with Manchester City's media, the Englishman shared his pride in wearing the armband:

It's an honour. To wear the armband that some of the players in the past have worn such as David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero, is incredible."

“And off the back of a treble-winning season, to then go and captain the Club for the first time and win the Super Cup, I have to admit, I felt very proud of myself."

He added:

“But the vote is going to come in, and the lads will determine who they want to be their captain for the foreseeable season. And I wish whoever it is, all the success -hopefully it's me, but we'll see what happens.”

Walker signed a new two-year deal with City on Thursday, September 14, extending his stay at the club till 2026. Since arriving from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017, he has made 260 appearances across competitions, winning 15 trophies.