Man City Football:bExpress Sport predicts how Man City might line up for their evening clash against West Ham United.
Manchester City FC v Ipswich Town FC – Premier League
Pep Guardiola has plenty of team selection headaches ahead of tonight’s clash. (Image: Getty)
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City travel to east London this afternoon in search of a third win from three to start the Premier League season.
A scintillating City put four past newbies Ipswich Town last weekend, having despatched Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their opening game of the campaign.
An unprecedented fifth straight Premier League title is the prize dangling in front of Guardiola and co, with this weekend’s trip to West Ham United another tough test of their credentials.
Manchester City FC v Ipswich Town FC – Premier League
Ederson has endured a shaky start to the season. (Image: Getty)
Predicted Man City XI vs West Ham (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Ederson
It’s been a shaky start to the season for goalkeeper Ederson, who has been blamed for Sammie Szmodics’ opener against Ipswich on Saturday.
The Brazil international, who was heavily linked to a Saudi Arabian switch earlier in the summer, also had his blushes spared by the offside flag when he parried a save straight into the path of Nicolas Jackson against Chelsea.
With Stefan Ortega waiting in the wing, Ederson can ill-afford any more mistakes between the sticks.
Manchester City FC v Ipswich Town FC – Premier League
Rico Lewis has shone in the first two matches for Man City. (Image: Getty)
Defence: Lewis, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol
Rico Lewis has been a standout for City so far this season, impressing in both of the reigning champions’ opening fixtures.
Kyle Walker is fit and firing, but Lewis should retain his spot in the backline, alongside familiar faces Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji and Josko Gvardiol.
The four have started the first two games of the Premier League season and could once again be used for tonight’s fixture in the capital.
Spain v England: Final – UEFA EURO 2024
Rodri hasn’t featured since Spain’s Euro 2024 final vs England. (Image: Getty)
Midfield: Kovacic, Bernardo, De Bruyne
The good news for City fans, as confirmed by Guardiola on Friday, is that Rodri is back and available.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Guardiola revealed the Ballon d’Or candidate was “much better”, having been missing for first two matches this season.
But it could prove a weekend too soon for the Spaniard, with Guardiola most likely to opt for Mateo Kovacic, alongside Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva in midfield.
Phil Foden’s presence also looks unlikely, with Guardiola revealing the England international was still poorly yesterday.
Manchester City FC v Ipswich Town FC – Premier League
Summer signing Savinho has caught the eye since making his City debut. (Image: Getty)
Forwards: Savinho, Haaland, Doku
Whisper it, but City might’ve fallen on the most exhilarating attack in the entire division.
Goal-hungry Erling Haaland has feasted off the electric Savinho and Jeremy Doku’s service so far this season, with the pair starting the campaign in stellar form.
It’s a penny for Jack Grealish’s thoughts, who looks set to start yet another Premier League fixture on the bench.
The transfer window has closed and Manchester City have completed their transfer business for the summer – adding two major signings and letting a number of players leave.
(Image: Instagram/@divinmubama)
Manchester City’s squad for the new season is confirmed, with two signings joining the defending Premier League champions in a low-key summer.
The addition of Savinho from City Football Group sister-club Troyes had been expected for months and was completed while the Blues were on tour in the USA, before an opportunistic return for Ilkay Gundogan opened up in the final week of the transfer window.
Those two signings would be the only additions for Pep Guardiola’s first team, while a late move for ex-West Ham youngster Divin Mubama will boost the academy forward line. In terms of outgoings, Julian Alvarez’s £64m exit led a hugely profitable summer where City made almost £150m in sales.
There was a point in the summer where City could have lost Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson, with both considering transfers to Saudi Arabia, but the influential pair opted to stay, keeping the majority of last season’s title-winning squad together.
Joao Cancelo, who has spent the last 18 months out on loan, sealed a permanent exit to Al Hilal, while Kalvin Phillips has joined Ipswich for the season and Sergio Gomez is now a Real Sociedad player.
The academy accounted for more than £50m of sales, while defender Yan Couto will earn City £25m next summer with Borussia Dortmund obligated to buy him at the end of his own season-long loan.
This is the full list of Manchester City incomings and outgoings from the summer window:
In
Savinho – Troyes (£21m, plus up to £12.6m in add-ons)
Ilkay Gundogan – Barcelona (free)
Divin Mubama – West Ham (£2m)
Total – £23m (up to £35.6m)
Out
Julian Alvarez – Atletico Madrid (£64m, plus up to £18m in add-ons)
Joao Cancelo – Al Hilal (£21m)
Sergio Gomez – Real Sociedad (£8.4m)
Taylor Harwood-Bellis – Southampton (£20m)
Liam Delap – Ipswich (£20m)
Tommy Doyle – Wolves (£5m)
Micah Hamilton – Middlesbrough (£5m)
Kalvin Phillips – Ipswich (loan)
Yan Couto – Borussia Dortmund (loan with obligation to buy for £25m)
Maximo Perrone – Como (loan)
Alex Robertson – Cardiff (£1m)
Kane Taylor – Aston Villa (£750k)
Lewis Fiorini – Stockport (up to £1m)
George Murray-Jones – Nottingham Forest (up to £1.1m)
Ben Knight – Murcia (free)
Kayky – Sparta Rotterdam (loan)
Callum Doyle – Norwich (loan)
Finley Burns – Hull City (loan)
Luka Mbete – Northampton (loan)
Tom Galvez – LASK (loan)
Kian Breckin – Crewe (loan)
True Grant – Buxton (loan)
Total – £147.25m (up to £165.25m).
NB – Not including Yan Couto clause in Borussia Dortmund loan. City have also earned around £5.4m from sell-on clauses in Douglas Luiz’s move from Aston Villa to Juventus and around £2.5m from Aro Muric’s transfer from Burnley to Ipswich.
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