SEBASTIEN HALLER MAY be new to the Premier League, but the former Eintracht Frankfurt forward knows enough about his new home to understand that facing Manchester City just isn’t much fun most of the time. 

West Ham splashed the cash to land the 25-year-old in a club-record deal worth £40 million (€42.6m / $50m) plus add-ons in hopes of boosting their attack. 

Having scored 14 times in 27 Bundesliga matches last season, Haller has a track-record of bringing goals at the club level, but with his side set to open Premier League campaign against Pep Guardiola’s league champions, he’s hoping he can just get a touch on the ball. 

“What a sh*t game to start with!” he joked to the Mirror. “I go there for a lot of money, now first game City! Why?

“There are better games to build your confidence. Hopefully I will touch the ball! We will see.”

City finished 46 points clear of West Ham in the Premier League last season - winning both games between the two sides

Guardiola’s side have netted 17 times in their last four visits to London Stadium, and Haller is under no illusions over what his new club will have to do to find a win in their opener. 

“What can I say?” he added. “Everyone needs to be prepared. They are the Champions from the League, the Cup, from even the Cup that I don’t know the name of.

So yes, it will be difficult. We will need to make a crazy game. It is probably best for the team to get a game like that because we will need to be focused 100 per cent.

West Ham finished 10th in the Premier League last season and will be looking to make a push for a European place this time out, while City are defending a title they won by just one point over Liverpool.  

The Manchester outfit also claimed both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, sweeping England’s domestic trophies in historic fashion. 

Following Saturday’s showdown the two sides won’t face each other again in the league until February of next year.