Pep Guardiola’s side got their pre-season schedule off to a winning start as they dismissed of Preston North End at the City Football Academy on Saturday.The clash, held privately and without fan at...
Pep Guardiola’s side got their pre-season schedule off to a winning start as they dismissed of Preston North End at the City Football Academy on Saturday.
The clash, held privately and without fan attendance, marked the beginning of City’s summer preparations for the 2025/26 campaign.
Following a demanding opening week of training, Pep Guardiola used the fixture to ease several of his first-team regulars back into match rhythm, while it remains to be seen whether any further short-notice behind-closed-doors fixtures will be scheduled in the coming days.
Manchester City’s schedule this summer has been tailored to reduce long-haul travel, in stark contrast to last year’s tour of the United States. This time around, the Premier League giants are opting for a more localised training base at the City Football Academy before jetting out to Sicily next week for match action.
Guardiola has already welcomed back his squad following an extended summer break, as new signings including Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders further integrate into the group, while John Stones and Rodri continue to develop their fitness following a tough last season.
Now, as pre-season begins to intensify, it has been revealed that Pep Guardiola’s side got their first win ahead of the new campaign as they beat Preston North End 1-0 in a behind closed doors friendly at the City Football Academy on Saturday afternoon.
Rico Lewis scored the only goal – provided by Oscar Bobb – to end of the first week of training ground preparations. Among the players to feature alongside the pair were Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Nico, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Rayan Cherki, Savinho, Jeremy Doku, and Erling Haaland.
Line-ups for the contest remain unknown and unconfirmed at this stage.
Attentions now turning to next weekend’s Anglo Palermitan Trophy clash with fellow City Football Group side Palermo of Italy in Sicily – kick-off scheduled for 20:00 (UK) on Saturday 9 August.
Lewis’ winner will no doubt please Pep Guardiola, as the versatile full-back continues to underline his positional abilities across a range of roles and maturity after a breakout two seasons in the first team, ahead of a chance to nail down the mainstay right-back role following Kyle Walker’s exit to Burnley this summer.
Next weekend’s clash with Palermo will be the last time fans get a proper look at City’s new recruits in action ahead of the competitive season, with Guardiola and his players taking on Wolves on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign at Molineux.
Category: General Sports
