Manchester City will play their final pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid on Sunday before their Community Shield fixture against Arsenal next week.
Manchester City vs Atletico Madrid – Match preview and team news
- Date: Sunday, 9th August.
- Kick-off: 12pm BST.
- Venue: Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea.
Manchester City team news
Erling Haaland remains with the Norway squad after their World Cup campaign and will not feature, while midfielder Rodri is sidelined after undergoing back surgery on 28 July.
Rayan Cherki, Marc Guéhi, Elliot Anderson, and Nico O’Reilly are also unavailable following their World Cup commitments.
Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips have been left out of the Asia tour entirely, with both expected to leave the club soon. Manager Enzo Maresca is likely to rotate his squad heavily, giving opportunities to new signings and fringe players.
Omar Marmoush could start up front after impressing off the bench in the previous friendly, while Phil Foden and Savinho are set to operate in advanced roles.
Rico Lewis, Abdukodir Khusanov, Matteo Kovacic, and Tijjani Reijnders are all in contention for starting positions as City look to build fitness and cohesion ahead of the Community Shield against Arsenal.
Atletico Madrid team news
Julián Álvarez remains in Argentina after the final, while Nahuel Molina, Giuliano Simeone, Álex Baena, Alejandro Grimaldo, and Alexander Sørloth are also absent.
Marcos Llorente, Alex Baena, Marc Pubill, and Juan Musso are similarly unavailable due to World Cup commitments.
However, new signings Lee Kang-in and Morten Hjulmand could make their debuts in front of a regional audience, though Lee’s availability remains slightly uncertain.
Diego Simeone is expected to field a mixed lineup featuring experienced heads like Jan Oblak, José María Giménez, Robin Le Normand, and Koke.
Ademola Lookman is one to watch in attack, while Hjulmand and Lee Kang-in may start or feature prominently if cleared.
This friendly offers Simeone a chance to assess his squad depth and integrate new arrivals before the La Liga season begins.
Form
Manchester City
Manchester City head into this fixture having won one of their last two pre-season games under new manager Enzo Maresca. They drew 1–1 with Inter Milan in Hong Kong on 1 August, losing 3–1 on penalties, before recording a comfortable 3–1 victory over the K-League All-Stars in Seoul on 5 August. Goals from Omar Marmoush, Savinho and Phil Foden secured Maresca’s first win in charge. City will be looking to build momentum and fine-tune tactics ahead of the Community Shield clash with Arsenal on 16 August.
Atletico Madrid
Atlético Madrid have had a mixed pre-season campaign. They lost 2–1 to Manchester United in Stockholm on 1 August. They bounced back with a 4–1 win over Getafe on 5 August, showing attacking intent. Before today’s match in Seoul, they have recorded one win and one loss in their last two friendlies. Diego Simeone has used the run of games to test new signings and integrate younger players ahead of La Liga.
Predicted lineups
Manchester City: Donnarumma; Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol; Reijnders, Kovacic; Semenyo, Foden, Savinho; Marmoush
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Sola, Gimenez, Le Normand, Hancko; Cardoso, Koke, Hjulmand; Kang-in, Martin, Lookman
How to watch Manchester City vs Atletico Madrid?
You can watch the Manchester City vs. Atlético Madrid match live in the UK exclusively on Manchester City’s official CITY+ streaming platform.
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