Manchester City won both of their preseason matches in Japan, and now the Asian tour continues on in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The opponent on Sunday will be Atletico Madrid, who City last met in April 2022, during the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Look for City manager Pep Guardiola to do some squad rotation from the side that beat Bayern Munich in Tokyo, Japan. Will we see Kevin De Bruyne make his 2023-24 season debut?
Club Friendly FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. July 30, 12 BST, Seoul World Cup Stadium
MCFC Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Watch: CITY+/Recast
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
If so, it will likely only come as a cameo, at half-time.
You won’t see the big Belgian in a starting role- that much is certain. Pep will no doubt go with a strong team, featuring a lot of usual starting 11 kind of guys. Then expect wholesale changes at halftime, perhaps as many as double digit numbers of substitutes.
Here is what we think that might look like.
Man City Starting XI Prediction vs Atletico Madrid (Club Friendly)
Ederson; Ake, Dias, Rodri, Cancelo; Phillips, Kovacic; Perrone, Foden, Gomez; Haaland
Prediction: Man City 2, Atletico Madrid 1
Always hard to predict the result of a friendly, especially one staged on the other side of the world, but hey, we’ll try anyway.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.