Premier League champions Manchester City will be welcomed back to the Etihad Stadium with open arms when they face newly-promoted Ipswich Town in their first home match of the new season on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams meet for the first time since January 2002 when the Citizens (as a second-tier club) beat the Tractor Boys (as a top-flight team) 4-1 at Portman Road in the FA Cup.
Match preview
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After beating rivals Manchester United to win the Community Shield - gaining revenge after losing the FA Cup final 11 weeks earlier - Man City began the defence of their Premier League crown with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea last Sunday.
Erling Haaland, the Premier League Golden Boot winner from the previous two seasons, needed just 18 minutes to open his account for the 2024-25 campaign on his 100th appearance for the club, before ex-Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic netted six minutes from time to seal maximum points at Stamford Bridge.
Man City have become the first team in Premier League history to win 10 consecutive games by two or more goals, including their final nine victories from last season, and manager Pep Guardiola admitted after the win over Chelsea that he "didn't expect" his Citizens side to perform as well as they did, considering their disrupted pre-season and absence of a few star names.
Guardiola and co are now preparing for their first fixture at the Etihad since beating West Ham United 3-1 on the final day of last season to clinch an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title - that victory extended their unbeaten home run in the top flight to an impressive 30 matches.
Man City will fancy their chances of success against Ipswich on Saturday, as they have won 17 of their last 18 Premier League games against promoted teams since losing 2-1 at home to Leeds United in April 2021.
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Following back-to-back promotions under the tutelage of adored head coach Kieran McKenna, Ipswich began their first Premier League campaign for 22 years with a 2-0 defeat against Liverpool at Portman Road last weekend.
Watched on by superfan Ed Sheeran, who recently acquired a 1.4% ownership stake in his boyhood club, the Tractor Boys showed no signs of intimidation during a promising first-half display, but two goals in the space of five second-half minutes from Reds duo Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah ultimately condemned the hosts to defeat.
McKenna was beaming with pride after the match and has taken "a lot of positives" from his team's efforts, but he has encouraged his Ipswich players to maintain their performance levels for longer if they are to "challenge" in the top flight this season.
Ipswich's start to life back in the big time does not get any easier, as they are now preparing for a daunting trip to Man City - and their first ever visit to the Etihad - having previously failed to win or score in any of their last seven away encounters with the reigning top-flight champions.
However, the Tractor Boys won their last two away meetings with Man City at their former home Maine Road, following up a 3-2 Premier League win in November 2000 with a 2-1 victory in the EFL Cup just a month later.
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Team News
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Guardiola has confirmed that Man City are likely to be without star midfielder Rodri, who missed the win over Chelsea and has trained separately this week, while Oscar Bobb is facing several months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on a fractured leg last week.
However, Savinho has trained this week after coming off at half time on his debut against Chelsea with a minor knee issue and will be assessed ahead of kickoff, while City could have another new signing available for selection, as Ilkay Gundogan is awaiting international clearance after finalising his return from Barcelona on Friday.
Kyle Walker, John Stones and newly-crowned PFA Player of the Year Phil Foden all began as substitutes against Chelsea following an extended summer break, but the England trio have all trained and should be in contention to start on Saturday.
As for Ipswich, Wes Burns, Nathan Broadhead (both hamstring), George Hirst (knee) and Harry Clarke (Achilles) are all sidelined with injuries, while Arijanet Muric (calf) will be assessed ahead of kickoff; Cameron Humphreys (thigh) is back in training, though.
Kalvin Phillips is ineligible to face his parent club Man City after joining the Tractor Boys on loan last week, but Jens Cajuste could be handed his debut in midfield after joining on loan from Napoli on Tuesday.
Ipswich hope to sign Armando Broja on loan from Chelsea in time for Saturday's game, but even if they achieve that, Liam Delap - who was sold by Man City for an initial £15m earlier this summer - could retain his place up front, while Sammie Szmodics and Ben Johnson are two other new recruits pushing to make their first starts for the club.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Kovacic, De Bruyne; Bernardo, Foden, Doku, Haaland
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Walton; Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Luongo; Johnson, Chaplin, Hutchinson; Delap
We say: Manchester City 3-0 Ipswich Town
Ipswich certainly gave a good account of themselves against Liverpool last weekend, but they ultimately came up short against a stronger opponent and will once again be up against it when they face a Man City side who are unbeaten in 45 games at the Etihad across all competitions.
Indeed, it is difficult to see how the Tractor Boys can come away with a positive result against the reigning champions, who should have few problems claiming maximum points in comfortable fashion.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
