Manchester City lost 4-3 to Celtic, in their first preseason friendly of the USA tour, in midweek. Now they’ll take on AC Milan at one of the grandest cathedrals of not just baseball, but all of sport- Yankee Stadium!
The New York Yankees are one of the most legendary clubs and biggest brands in all of sport, and they have a direct Man City connection.
Preseason Friendly FYIs
Manchester City vs AC MiIan
Kickoff (local time): Sat July 27, 6pm, Yankee Stadium, New York, NY, USA
Watch: ESPN
Man City Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction Travel Squad List
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Yankee Stadium is the home ground of New York City FC, sister club to Man City. So the reigning Premier League champions will have a sort of quasi-home pitch advantage here.
As this is an exhibition match, manager Pep Guardiola will play some kids here, especially in the back, where he has no choice.
Another player he pretty much has to feature here is midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who has returned from his loan spell at West Ham. It is best that he finds a new home, but he isn’t being linked anywhere right now.
If City can showcase him, and he shows better form than he did in east London, well, maybe he’ll attract some suitors.
Man City Starting XI Prediction vs AC Milan (Friendly)
Stefan Ortega; Rico Lewis, Luke Mbete, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Josh Wilson-Esbrand; Maximo Perrone, Kalvin Phillips; James McAtree, Oscar Bobb, Jack Grealish; Erling Haaland
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.