After kicking off their season on a victorious note, Manchester City aim to make it two wins out of two in the Premier League when they take on Ipswich Town on Saturday.
City’s 2-0 win over Chelsea last week felt like business as usual for the reigning champions, though it feels as if they have to kick things into high gear at this early stage of the season. They may rest on neutral for another week, in large part because they will be the heavy favorites against newly promoted Ipswich Town. It may not be an easy game — Liverpool played a scoreless first half at Portman Road Stadium before they went on to win 2-0 last week — but one in which City are expected to establish their case as the team to beat this season, barring a serious points deduction.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 24 | Time: 10 a.m. ET
- Location: Etihad Stadium — Manchester, England
- Live stream: Peacock
- Odds: Manchester City -1400; Draw +1200; Ipswich Town +2900
Storylines
City may have scored two goals and come out with all three points at Stamford Bridge last week, but the trip to Chelsea was not exactly smooth sailing. They were basically even on possession and shots with the Blues but lost the expected goals battle to them, posting just 0.77 xG while the hosts put up 1.01. It helps to have reigning golden boot winner Erling Haaland ready to go after a restful summer, as well as another ideal game to ease themselves back into top form.
Pep Guardiola will essentially have his whole squad to choose from, but may be selective about playing time, considering the fact that the summer tournaments ended just a month ago. The aim will likely be to mimic Liverpool’s performance a week ago — the Reds may have been slow to score but they were dominant from start to finish, eventually finding the goals that corresponded with their performance.
Prediction
City are the favorites for a reason in this matchup, so expect them to act accordingly and pick up another win regardless of the personnel Guardiola selects. Haaland will likely be around to play a big part and seems likely to leave a sizable mark in the process. Pick: Manchester City 3, Ipswich Town 0
KVSP