"It will be business as usual" - Chris Sutton makes prediction for Manchester City vs Ipswich
Manchester City began their Premier League title defense with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Next, they will host newly promoted Ipswich Town in their first home game, where they are heavy favorites to secure all three points, according to pundit Chris Sutton.
Pep Guardiola’s side started the first half strongly against Chelsea, with Erling Haaland finding the net in the 18th minute. However, the Blues mounted a comeback in the second half, creating a few chances of their own.
Just when City appeared to be under pressure in the late stages, Mateo Kovacic breezed past Chelsea's midfield and put the game to bed with a stunning strike in the 84th minute.
Guardiola will certainly be hoping his team can carry their momentum into the second game, where they face Ipswich Town, who are coming off a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Sutton acknowledged that Ipswich have made some quality signings, including former City striker Liam Delap, and noted that they gave Liverpool a tough challenge. However, he still expects Manchester City to comfortably come out on top, predicting a 4-0 victory for the champions.
"For the first hour against Liverpool, I thought they really pushed them and played with great intensity. I feel really sorry for them the fixtures have fallen as they have done. Manchester City got a pretty routine win against Chelsea last week and that is them fairly half-cooked and nowhere near up to speed, so that is ominous for Arsenal, Liverpool and everybody else. At home, it will be business as usual for City," Sutton said (via the BBC)
Notably, the Cityzens are unbeaten at home in the Premier League since their 2-1 defeat to Brentford in November 2022.
At times, they have looked unstoppable at the Etihad Stadium, and with the support of their fans, it will undoubtedly be a challenge for Kieran McKenna's team to take anything from the game.
Ilkay Gundogan set to return to Manchester City; Pep Guardiola targets striker - Reports
Manchester City have most positions well-covered with quality options, but since Ilkay Gundogan’s departure last season, they’ve been looking for a player to support Rodri. In a stunning turn of events, Gundogan himself appears to be the replacement, as he is set to return to the club after spending a year at Barcelona, according to Fabrizio Romano.
In addition to bringing back Gundogan, Guardiola is also in search of a striker to replace Julian Alvarez, who moved to Atletico Madrid for a reported €82 million fee. Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi is one of the players the club is considering, according to journalist Sam Lee.
After their game against Ipswich, Manchester City will face West Ham United at the London Stadium on August 31 before the international break.