Good afternoon! We are just one week away from the start of the new Premier League season and eight days away from both Manchester City and West Ham United getting their campaigns underway, so this final pre-season friendly is one last chance to get the players up to speed and fine tuned before the serious business gets underway. Before we take a look at how both clubs have fared in the buildup so far, though, let's first check out the team news for today's match...

MAN CITY STARTING XI: Ederson; Kompany, Stones, Otamendi; Yaya Toure, De Bruyne, Sane, Silva, Danilo; Jesus, Aguero

MAN CITY SUBS: Muric, Grimshaw, Walker, Sterling, Mangala, Bernardo, Fernandinho, Roberts, Zinchenko, Adarabioyo, Diaz, Foden

WEST HAM STARTING XI: Hart; Zabaleta, Fonte, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Noble, Obiang, Fernandes, Arnautovic, Ayew; Martinez

WEST HAM SUBS: Adrian, Collins, Byram, Rice, Makasi, Holland, Snodgrass, Hernandez

Could that be Manchester City's starting XI on the opening day of the season? You'd have thought that it won't be drastically different from the lineup Guardiola has chosen today, with City naming a very strong side for today's final warm-up game. They have, of course, spent a lot of money on improving their squad this summer and once again Ederson - the most expensive goalkeeper of all time - starts between the sticks while there is no place in the squad for Claudio Bravo despite the Chilean having returned to the club following an extended summer break after the Confederations Cup.

Indeed, the back four is entirely unchanged from the win over Tottenham Hotspur last time out, with Kompany, Stones and Otamendi all retaining their places in front of Ederson. That is an area of the field where Guardiola may feel he still needs reinforcements, but the same cannot be said of the full-back berths anymore. After some huge investment City are spoilt for choice in that area and today it looks as though Sane and Danilo will operate on the flanks, with Walker left on the bench and fellow new signing Benjamin Mendy still injured.

Yaya Toure, who worked his way back into Guardiola's plans last season comes into the side this afternoon alongside De Bruyne, who has been one of City's star players during pre-season so far following a league-high 18 assists last term. David Silva also keeps his place in the team behind a dangerous front two of Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero, the latter of whom has been linked with a move away this summer. Questions over who would be Guardiola's first-choice striker have been raised since Jesus's arrival, but if he decides to play both up front then there could be a lot of goals there.

Sterling drops out of the side to make way for Aguero today, and he will be hoping that isn't a sign that he may not the start the Premier League opener having scored in City's last two games. There is no shortage of competition for places up there, though, and Man City fans will be hopeful of seeing their first glimpse of Bernardo Silva in the shirt this afternoon. The Portuguese winger has missed the bulk of pre-season due to his involvement in the Confederations Cup, but he is on the bench today and is expected to make his unofficial debut.

The most notable inclusions in the West Ham starting lineup are Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta, who both have a chance to reacquaint themselves with some familiar faces a little earlier than they might have expected. Zabaleta joined the Hammers from City on a free transfer this summer, and Hart followed on loan shortly afterwards to further strengthen the defensive line. Between them they made 680 appearances for Man City, but they will be looking to topple their former employers today and, for Hart in particular, it is a chance to prove Guardiola wrong.

Zabaleta and Ogbonna are the only members of the back five to keep their place from the 3-3 draw with Altona on Tuesday, with Fonte and Masuaku both coming in as well as Hart. Reid is suspended after being sent off in that draw, while Cresswell picked up a minor injury and is being kept out of the game as a precaution today. Adrian, meanwhile, drops to the bench, where he may spend a lot of his season if Hart hits the ground running.

Further forward, there is good news as captain Mark Noble returns from a toe injury at the heart of the midfield - the only change to the midfield which started against Altona. He replaces Snodgrass in that area of the field, with Obiang, Fernandes, Ayew and new signing Marko Arnautovic all keeping their places in the starting XI. Arnautovic has already opened his account for the club, and they will need him to weigh in with a few more goals throughout the season if they are to improve on last season's showing.

Bringing a main goal-getter to the club has been West Ham's problem in recent years, but they hope to have solved that this summer with the £16m arrival of Javier Hernandez. The Mexican is once again forced to wait for his first West Ham start as he begins today's game on the bench, having made his debut in a cameo against Altona earlier this week. His record against Manchester City is not great, though, having lost four and won none of his five previous meetings. Martinez - who scored against Altona - gets the nod up front ahead of him here.

This is the final chance both managers will get to see their players in action before the beginning of the new Premier League season, and both clubs will be demanding improved performances from last year too. For Manchester City in particular the pressure will be on after their summer splurge, when they became the first English club to ever spend £200m in a single transfer window. That window is still open too, so there could be even more to come, with City linked with another centre-back in addition to Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez.

Whether City do make more moves in the market or not, the expectation is for them to challenge for the title this season a lot more than they did last. It all started well for City, with Guardiola winning his first 10 competitive games in charge across all competitions, but they finished the campaign a full 15 points behind champions Chelsea having lost six Premier League games over the course of the season - more than Guardiola had ever lost in a single term of his managerial career.

There was little joy elsewhere to make up for their third-place Premier League finish either, with City being knocked out of the EFL Cup and Champions League in the last 16 before going down to Arsenal in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. It was the first time in Guardiola's illustrious managerial career that he failed to pick up a single trophy in a season, and he knows that he may not survive if he makes it two in a row. Guardiola's track record should give him more time than other managers might be afforded at Man City, but the owners want results and trophies at the end of it all.

One thing which could hamper City's chances is the sheer amount of changes they have made to the squad this summer. The likes of Zabaleta, Caballero, Clichy, Navas, Sagna, Nolito, Hart, Kolarov and Iheanacho have all left the Etihad Stadium, while the big-money arrivals of Bernardo, Ederson, Walker, Danilo and Mendy have replaced them. On paper it certainly looks like City have strengthened - in addition to lowering the average age of their squad - but often players need time to gel and perhaps crucially Walker is the only one of the new arrivals with past Premier League experience.

Having said that, City do seem to have gelled quickly on the basis of their pre-season campaign so far. Guardiola's side began with a disappointing showing in a 2-0 defeat to local rivals Manchester United, but since then they have been scintillating and their attacking play in particular has led to some hailing them at title favourites already. City swept European champions Real Madrid aside with a 4-1 victory, and three of those goalscorers were on the scoresheet again last Saturday when they ran out 3-0 winners over Tottenham Hotspur in Nashville.

That 3-0 scoreline against Spurs - who are expected to be amongst City's challengers at the top of the table - did not flatter them at all either. Indeed, it could easily have been six or seven for City, with Aguero hitting the post twice and a number of other chances going begging. City completely outplayed Mauricio Pochettino's side and, while there is only a limited amount we can gather from pre-season games, it was certainly a statement to the rest of the division.

Man City will begin their campaign away to newly-promoted Brighton & Hove Albion before facing three of last season's top seven in their opening seven games. The clash with Brighton is a potential banana skin given how excited the hosts are going to be for their first game in the Premier League, and City then host Everton and Liverpool in two of their next three - with Bournemouth sandwiched in between. City then take on Watford and Crystal Palace before meeting champions Chelsea for the first time.

By contrast, West Ham have a relatively kind start to the season despite having been dealt one of the most difficult opening-day fixtures available. The Hammers will travel to Old Trafford to face Jose Mourinho's Manchester United in their first game, but that is one of only two games against members of last season's top seven in their opening 10 outings. Indeed, West Ham take on two of the promoted sides in their first four fixtures of the season and will have played all three in their opening nine.

West Ham will be forced to play the first three games of the new season away from home due to the London Stadium being used for the World Athletics Championships, so they will be hopeful of getting through what could be a tricky patch there before hosting Huddersfield in their first home game of the campaign. West Ham got off to a poor start last term and for some of the season it looked as though they could be facing a relegation battle, so Bilic will be keen to make a quick start this time around.

The Hammers eventually finished 11th in the table last season, only missing out on a place in the top half on goal difference. However, their pre-season goals were to challenge for a top-seven finish, and they ended up 16 points adrift of Everton, who claimed that seventh place. West Ham were closer to the relegation zone, in fact, ending the season 11 points clear of the bottom three in the end.

The Hammers' form in pre-season will not have exactly filled the fans with optimism for a bright campaign ahead, though. They have won just one of their five warm-up fixtures so far, and it is not like they have been playing top-class opposition either. The Hammers have drawn with Sturm Graz's second team, Werder Bremen and German fifth tier side Altona, also losing to Werder Bremen along the way. THeir only pre-season victory so far was a 2-1 triumph over Championship side Fulham.

West Ham have conceded five goals in their last two pre-season outings as well, and that 3-3 draw against Altona would have been particularly worrying. Bilic can point to a first-half red card for Winston Reid as a possible reason behind his side's performance, but you still would have expected them to beat a team from the fifth tier of the German league system. Instead, though, they were forced to come from behind on three separate occasions to share the spoils in a game which saw Hernandez make his debut - perhaps the only real positive to come from the game.

West Ham were rather slow to get going in the transfer market this summer, but they have done some good work in the window since and the fans will be relatively pleased with the players they have brought in. The headline arrival has been Javier Hernandez, who has proven his goalscoring ability at the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid. The Mexican was not the number one striker at either of those clubs, though, so he could have a point to prove in the Premier League during the upcoming campaign. Arnautovic has also come in from Stoke for £20m, while Hart and Zabaleta have arrived from today's opponents.

Crucially, West Ham have also avoided any major exits this summer. Enner Valencia is the highest-profile player to leave, and with the arrivals of Arnautovic and Hernandez that is definitely an upgrade for the Hammers. Darren Randolph and Havard Nordtveit are the next most notable departures, but once again they have been replaced with players who, on paper, should be an improvement.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff in Iceland, which means that it is time for a prediction! The form of these two teams so far in pre-season has been vastly different - City have looked sharp and dangerous whereas West Ham have looked anything but. There have been plenty of goals for both teams, but I see the majority of them going City's way today. I'll go for a 3-1 Man CIty win.

City certainly had the better of West Ham last season, with the two teams meeting three times overall and Pep Guardiola's side winning all of them. They didn't just win, though, they thrashed the Hammers on two occasions, scoring nine goals in their first couple of trips to the London Stadium. In all, City scored 12 times in three games against the Hammers last season - an average of four per game.

The Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium ended in a 3-1 win for City, which turned out to be a respectable score compared to what was to come later in the campaign. City ran out 5-0 winners at the London Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup before returning less than a month later and chalking up a 4-0 triumph that time. Sterling, Silva and Toure all scored twice against the Hammers last season, while Fernandinho, Aguero, Stones, De Bruyne and Jesus also got on the scoresheet.

West Ham's poor record against City goes further back than that, though. The Hammers have won just three of their last 25 matches against the blue half of Manchester, drawing five and losing 17 of those. They come into this match winless in the last four editions of this fixture, since a 2-1 triumph at the Etihad in September 2015 when Moses and Sakho were on the scoresheet.

Right, the players are on their way out in Reykjavik for the first ever match to be played between two Premier League teams in Iceland. A reminder of the two starting lineups before we get started...

MAN CITY STARTING XI: Ederson; Kompany, Stones, Otamendi; Yaya Toure, De Bruyne, Sane, Silva, Danilo; Jesus, Aguero

WEST HAM STARTING XI: Hart; Zabaleta, Fonte, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Noble, Obiang, Fernandez, Arnautovic, Ayew; Martinez

KICKOFF: Here we go then! West Ham United get us underway in Iceland!

City have quickly taken control of possession in this friendly, as expected. No early chances for either side though as they both look to settle into this one.

Most pre-season matches are about getting up to full match fitness, but these two teams should pretty much be there by now so Guardiola and Bilic will want to see more evidence of it all tying together today.

No way through for Man CIty so far. Guardiola's side have seen the lion's share of possession but West Ham are keeping their shape and discipline so far.

The commentator's curse strikes again - sorry West Ham fans! The Hammers try to play out from the back, but City's press is good and Danilo nips in to steal the ball high up the pitch following a poor pass from Ogbonna. Danilo gives it inside to De Bruyne, who chalks up yet another assist by playing the ball across for Jesus to sweep home at the far post.

At the risk of putting too much of a spotlight on Hart's ability with his feet - which was supposedly the reason he was shipped out by Guardiola - his decision to play out from the back there only invited pressure from City. He may have been better just getting the ball clear in that scenario, although the same could be said of Ogbonna.

Chance for Man City to test Hart again here as they win a free kick in a dangerous position...

CHANCE! The free kick comes to nothing, but City are quickly on the front foot again and Silva plays a ball through for Aguero in the middle. The Argentine gets a shot away, but Hart parries it behind for a corner.

The resulting delivery eventually falls for Kompany, but the centre-back is off balance and scoops his finish over the crossbar.

De Bruyne has a couple of chances to put the ball into the box from the right flank, but both times Ogbonna is there to clear the danger. City still on top here.

Another chance for City to come forward, this time down the left channel as De Bruyne plays the ball through for Silva. The Spaniard has two teammates in the middle, but his first cross is blocked and the second is overhit.

City are in complete control of this match at the moment. They are dominating possession and West Ham have barely touched the ball inside the City half for some time. Ederson has had nothing to do so far.

CHANCE! Another chance for City as De Bruyne's ball forward is nicked into the path of Jesus, who levers Ogbonna off the ball far too easily. That puts him in on goal, but Hart is quickly off his line and blocks the attempted cutback for Silva.

Hart is called into action again here as Sane's cross forces him to just push it over his own crossbar for a corner. Hart thinks it has gone out of play before, but the officials disagree.

It has almost been like an attack vs. defence training session for City so far. They have completely dominated possession and territory, and now have another free kick just about within shooting range...

CHANCE! Toure clever plays the ball quickly, sliding a pass in behind for Danilo who had snuck away from his marker. Danilo's first touch is heavy, though, and the ball runs through for Hart to gather.

Despite City's dominance it remains only 1-0 here courtesy of that early Jesus goal, which you can watch below:

GOAL!!

Jesus gives Man City an early lead. Ominous for West Ham 😨 pic.twitter.com/GkP13JgzFG — Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) August 4, 2017

CHANCE! The first hint of a chance for West Ham as Obiang releases Zabaleta down the right and the full-back swings a cross into the middle. Martinez is unmarked, but the ball is just a little too high for him and he can't steer his header on target.

Here comes the Icelandic clap for the first time today. The England contingent of players won't have fond memories of that.

It has been a pretty joyless opening half an hour for West Ham here. They have been on the back foot from the word go and are yet to trouble Ederson at all. That half-chance for Martinez is all they have created so far.

CLOSE! Good play from Sane as he skips past Zabaleta too easily on the edge of the box before flashing an effort narrowly wide of the far post.

Hart needs to be quick off his line to mop up a through-ball towards Sane as City once again threaten to get in behind. City's defence is yet to be tested, but their attack looks very good ahead of the new season.

West Ham will consider themselves quite lucky to only be one down at half time if it stays like this. City haven't exactly been creating chances at will, but they have been completely dominant and deserve more of a cushion in the scoreline.

Ayew needs treatment here following an aerial clash with Otamendi, who gets a talking-to from the referee. The West Ham striker looks in some pain, but he should be able to continue.

Almost a chance for West Ham as Ederson is forced a long way off his line to intercept a ball forward, just about getting to the ball ahead of the striker.

SAVE! Hart is called into action again here as Danilo is played through down the right channel by Aguero. Danilo has no other option but to aim for the near post, but Hart has his angles right and shovels the ball behind for another corner.

The referee brings an end to the first half in Iceland, and it is Manchester City who have the lead at the interval. In truth, it really should be a more comprehensive lead considering their dominance, but as things stand they are just one goal to the good despite enjoying the lion's share of possession and territory. Something needs to change for West Ham if they are to get back into this one.

The only goal of the game so far arrived after just eight minutes, and it stemmed from a West Ham mistake as they tried to play out from the back. Ogbonna's loose pass was pounced upon by Danilo, who gave the ball to De Bruyne inside. De Bruyne then does what he does best, laying the ball on a plate for Jesus to sweep home at the back post with a pinpoint pass.

City have had other chances too, with Joe Hart enduring a busy half against his parent club. Aguero, Jesus and Danilo have all been denied by the loanee goalkeeper, while Sane has flashed an effort narrowly wide of the far post. At the other end, West Ham have only had one notable sight of goal when Zabaleta's cross picked out Martinez, who sent his header well over the crossbar.

KICKOFF: Manchester City get us back underway for the second half, and there have been some changes at the break. All of them come for West Ham, who bring on Sam Byram, Declan Rice and Javier Hernandez in place of Zabaleta, Noble and Martinez.

City have again taken early control of the possession at the start of this second half. We're only a couple of minutes into it, but already Hernandez is looking isolated up front.

Very good tracking back from Ayew, who reacts to Sane nipping in behind with a last-ditch challenge to concede yet another City corner. Ayew looks to have hurt himself in the process, though...

One constant of this game has been Hart's booming voice coming out and directing his defence. He has wasted no time in exerting his influence on this West Ham team.

Another cross arrives into the West Ham box and they don't deal with it particularly well, but Man City can't make the most of it either and it eventually ends up in the arms of Hart.

SAVE! Ederson finally has a save to make! Hernandez spreads a good ball out wide for Fernandes, who finds space down the right. He drives into the box before firing a low striker towards the bottom corner, but the angle is against him and Ederson gets down to it well.

Just like that, Man City have their second goal. It is a brilliant piece of football as they suddenly burst into life with a string of one-touch passes. Sane knocks the ball down the line for Silva, who in turn delivers a perfect cross into the middle. Aguero is waiting there unmarked, and he duly applies the first-time finish to double the advantage.

CHANCE! Almost a chance for City to get a quickfire third as the ball breaks to Jesus on the edge of the area, but he doesn't catch it perfectly and the ball flashes wide of the far post.

MAN CITY SUBS: A host of changes for City here as seven players come on - I will bring you full news of them momentarily, but the headline is a debut for Bernardo Silva.

Those Man City changes in full:

On: Walker, Sterling, Bernardo, Fernandinho, Mangala, Zinchenko and Foden

Off: Danilo, Aguero, Jesus, Toure, Stones, Sane and De Bruyne

WEST HAM SUB: There is concern for West Ham here as Arnautovic goes down and needs treatment. He will be unable to continue and is replaced by Robert Snodgrass.

CHANCE! Another chance for City as David Silva skips through on goal and tries to drive a powerful shot past Hart, who gets the faintest of fingertips to it to turn it wide. The officials haven't seen the touch and award a goal kick, but that was a good save.

Again the fans inside the stadium do the Viking clap having been prompted by the announcer. They love it here.

Otamendi has words with Hernandez here after launching himself into an aerial challenge and coming back worse off following a heavy landing. The City defender should be fine to continue, though.

Good defending from Fonte as he hooks a ball away after a clipped pass forward almost found Sterlin in behind. It is still City asking all of the questions here.

Raheem Sterling continues his purple patch in front of goal to give City a 3-0 lead here, latching on to a loose ball to fire past Hart. It was a good, patient move from City which ended with Foden's shot deflecting kindly into the path of Sterling, who did not need a second invitation.

MAN CITY SUBS: City make more changes after that goal as Diaz, Adarabioyo and Roberts come on for Silva, Kompany and Otamendi.

Good play from Ederson as he comes to claim Masuaku's cross, despite the distraction of his own player. He doesn't mind wiping a teammate out to collect the ball.

CHANCE! It's not often Sterling gets a headed chance, but he almost doubles his personal tally for the match via that route here. Bernardo Silva reaches the byline down the right and stands the ball up to the far post, which Byram misjudges. That allows Sterling to get his head to it at the back post, but his header is kept out by Hart.

CHANCE! West Ham have their biggest chance of the match as Snodgrass plays the ball through for Hernandez, who is racing down the left channel. The Mexican takes his time over the finish before trying to lay it off for Snodgrass, but despite Ederson scrambling neither of them are able to get a shot away.

West Ham have the ball in the back of the net, but the goal will not stand. City play the ball out from the back and Ederson gives it to Mangala under heavy pressure. Ayew challenges Mangala inside the City box and gets the ball before putting it past the keeper, but the referee blows for a foul. West Ham are right to feel hard done by there!

That was an example of City playing out of the back when it wasn't the correct decision. Ederson was pretty much on his own goalline and Mangala was clearly under pressure, but still the keeper refused to just put his foot through it.

Half a chance for City as Diaz lays the ball back for Foden, but the youngster doesn't catch his effort and drags it tamely wide of the target.

Just five minutes remaining here, and it has been another impressive showing from Man City. It looks like being three three-goal victories in a row, so they should go into the new season full of confidence.

WEST HAM SUBS: Two more changes for West Ham as Moses Makasi and Nathan Holland replace Fernandes and Ayew.

Guardiola will be pleased with what he has seen from his side again today. They have controlled the game from start to finish and are well worthy of what looks like another three-goal victory.

It's all over in Iceland, then, and it is another impressive result and performance from Manchester City. They have swept all before them since starting with defeat to Manchester United, and today was no different as goals from Jesus, Aguero and Sterling saw them cruise to a 3-0 victory over West Ham, who barely threatened at all. Both clubs will now look ahead to the new Premier League season, when City will take on Brighton and West Ham will face Manchester United.

That is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Manchester City end their pre-season preparations in style with a 3-0 win over West Ham. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to check back in for plenty more live action in the coming days - including the start of the new Championship season tonight. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!