Manchester City fixture look ahead with Champions League defence starting

A look between the two international breaks.

Transcript

00:00 Michael, we're hit the international break now and there's a bit of a month give or take between the next two.

00:05 Just give us a little rundown of City's fixtures in between the two breaks, because you know, like Manchester United as well,

00:12 the fixtures are going to keep coming thick and fast now.

00:16 Yeah, you're right. So as we come back from the international break, we've got essentially a run of seven games.

00:22 City back to their weekend, midweek, weekend run of games.

00:27 Obviously, I think we'll see a little bit more rotation, a little bit of Pep using the squad a little bit more.

00:32 We'll also see the return of Pep Guardiola, actually, as well, who's obviously been away for the last two games

00:36 and undergone surgery on a back problem.

00:38 So yeah, I mean, City have got a relatively kind Champions League group, which begins when they come back.

00:44 They face Red Star Belgrade at home and then RB Leipzig away.

00:47 I mean, Leipzig away is going to be the most difficult match of the group.

00:51 Also have young boys in that group who they don't play until later on in the season.

00:56 But I think that's a relatively kind group.

00:57 I actually think for City, they probably will get through, as they did last year,

01:01 after four games in the group, they managed to rotate later on.

01:05 So yeah, but they'll want to hit the ground running, obviously, in the Champions League.

01:09 And then in terms of the Premier League, they come back with a trip to West Ham, who obviously picked up ten points so far this season,

01:13 one of the most informed sides.

01:15 They also face Forest and Wolves, sorry to say, Charles, relatively kind fixtures.

01:20 And then they also face Arsenal away in the Premier League, which is a huge game,

01:24 you suspect a game that Mikel Arteta will want to go into,

01:28 certainly in touch of distance to City and try and inflict, I suppose, a first real,

01:35 I don't know, have an impact on their title race or something that Arsenal didn't manage last season.

01:38 And the first time as title rivals, they could be something they obviously would look to put right this time around.

01:43 And then they do face Newcastle in a very difficult Carabao Cup game away up at St James' Park.

01:48 Draws don't get much more difficult than that, certainly in midweek.

01:51 So, yeah, it's obviously a return for Premier League games at the beginning of the Champions League and Carabao Cup campaign.

01:56 So it's a very busy period for City.

01:58 And yeah, listen, you always back City to do well in that run.

02:02 But as we just touched upon, you know, integrating the new signings as well,

02:06 it'll be interesting to see how they perform in that period.