Manchester City will host newly promoted Norwich in their opening home game of the 2021/22 season.
Pep Guardiola’s men have started competition issues very badly after being beaten 1-0 by Leicester at Wembley in the Community Shield, before losing their opening league match with the same result at Tottenham.
Norwich’s return to the Premier League has been greeted by two of the most challenging matches they can face. The Canary Islands went down 3-0 to Liverpool on the opening day, and now face the unfavorable task of trying to inflict a third consecutive defeat on City for the first time since 2006.
Here is a 90 minute preview of the match.
When is it kick off? Saturday 21 August, 15:00 (BST)Where is the match played? Etihad Stadium, ManchesterWhich TV channel is Manchester City against Norwich on? fuboTV (USA)Who is the judge? Graham ScottWho has VAR service? Jonathon Moss
Manchester City are sweating from the condition of midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who injured his shoulder towards the end of Sunday’s defeat to Tottenham.
Jack Grealish is likely to start again after Pep Guardiola hailed his debut as “incredible”, while there may be returns for John Stones, Rodri and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Ilkay Gundogan went down injured at Tottenham / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
Doubts remain over Kevin De Bruyne’s condition and the Belgian can once again become a replacement.
After Norwich’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool on opening day, Daniel Farke confirmed that his players felt the effects of a strenuous pre-season.
Grant Hanley, Teemu Pukki and Milot Rashica are among those who fought late against Liverpool, but they will probably keep their places provided Farke is happy with how they have trained.
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko; Rodri, Silva, Grealish; Mahrez, Torres, Sterling
Norwich: Krul; Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Giannoulis; Lees-Melou, Gilmour, Rupp; Cantwell, Pukki, Rashica
Jack Grealish will be a big presence for Manchester City this season / Visionhaus / Getty Images
City may have started the season convincingly but they are still overwhelming favorites against Norwich.
Their incredible squad depth was proven by the quality of their bench at Spurs, and Guardiola will now have a week of extra training in the legs of their superstar players. Jack Grealish was relatively quiet against Tottenham – thanks to a superb Japhet Tanganga performance – but expect him to play in his first home game.
Pair City’s class with Norwich’s terrible latest record at the Etihad and there’s only one conclusion you can draw; The Canary Islands have lost their last three in Manchester with a total score of 14-1.
Prediction: Manchester City 4-0 Norwich
