Manchester City will host Ipswich Town at the Etihad on Saturday, looking to continue their perfect start to the 2024/25 season.
Manchester City are coming into this game on the back of a 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League season opener, and they will be confident of grinding out another positive result when Ipswich Town pay them a visit on Saturday.
The reigning Premier League champions are the best team in the country, and they will be confident of getting the job done against the newly promoted outfit. Meanwhile, Ipswich Town were beaten by Liverpool in the season opener, and it remains to be seen whether they can bounce back strongly.
The Tractor Boys will want to cause an upset here, but it will be a difficult outing for them. Manchester City have a far better squad, and they have been formidable at home for years. The visitors will need a major slice of luck to get something out of this contest. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the upcoming meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
The Premier League champions will be without Savinho because of a knee injury and Oscar Bobb after he broke his leg in training ten days ago. Manchester City will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Ipswich Town, with Ederson Moraes in goal.
Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol will be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Manuel Akanji will start in the central defensive partnership alongside Ruben Dias.
As for the midfield unit, Bernardo Silva will start alongside Rodri. While the Spanish international will look to protect the backline and break up opposition attacks, Silva will look to add creativity and drive to the side. Meanwhile, Ilkay Gundogan will likely make his second debut for Manchester City after returning from Barcelona.
Kevin De Bruyne will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third. Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku will be deployed in the wide areas, and Erling Haaland will lead the line for the home team.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Silva, Rodri; Foden, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland
Ipswich Town
The away side will be without several first-team players for the trip to Manchester City. Harry Clarke misses out with a calf injury, George Hirst has a knee injury, Nathan Broadhead has a thigh problem, Janoi Donacien misses out with a groin issue, and Cameron Humphreys is also sidelined with a knock.
Ipswich Town will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Manchester City, with former City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric in goal. Ben Johnson and Leif Davis will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Luke Woolfenden and Jacob Greaves will start at the heart of the defence.
Sam Morsy and Jack Taylor will start in the double pivot in the middle of the park, and they will look to protect the back four and break up opposition attacks. Wes Burns and Omari Hutchinson will look to add goals and creativity to the side from the wide areas.
Conor Chaplin will start in the central attacking midfield role, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Finally, former Manchester City attacker Liam Delap with lead the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muric; Johnson, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Taylor; Burns, Chaplin, Hutchison; Delap
Key Stats
- Ipswich Town have failed to win 13 of their last 14 matches in the Premier League.
- Manchester City have won their last ten matches in the Premier League.
- Manchester City have scored at least two goals in their last ten matches in the Premier League.
- Ipswich Town have won four of their last six matches against Manchester City.
- 20 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
Player to Watch
Kevin De Bruyne
The veteran Belgian playmaker will look to carve out goalscoring opportunities for his teammates, and he has the quality and the experience to exploit Ipswich’ defensive vulnerabilities.
The away side will have to improve immensely in order to contain players of his quality. The Manchester City skipper is our key player to watch out for, and he could make a defining impact in the final third.
Prediction
Manchester City 3-0 Ipswich Town
The Premier League champions should be able to grind out a comfortable victory here. The gulf in class between the two teams is immense, and the visitors are unlikely to cause any problems for Manchester City here. The Tractor Boys have a number of injury problems as well and they are likely to be completely outfought here.