Man City are about to offer clear Premier League hint

Manchester City will kick off the new Premier League season at Wolves on August 16

Manchester City kick off their Premier League season at Wolves on August 16

Manchester City are under two weeks away from their Premier League opener against Wolves and have one pre-season friendly remaining before they return to competitive action.

City have not been seen in action since their surprise 4-3 Club World Cup exit to Al Hilal more than a month ago.

The Blues are having to keep a different pre-season schedule to the norm and to their rivals, bar Chelsea, having travelled to the States for the expanded competition which ended in the last 16.

That meant City exited the tournament earlier than anticipated and with six weeks until the new domestic campaign started. With no pre-season friendlies organised and players granted three weeks off to rest and recuperate, City only recently returned to full tilt.

A game against sister club Palermo will be the only public friendly fixture with Saturday's contest set to offer the clearest selection hint ahead of the new campaign.

Pep Guardiola has a large squad supplemented by four senior summer arrivals that has taken City's 2025 spend past the £300million mark.

And while the Club World Cup suggested how the City chief might view his XI for the opening weekend of the Premier League, the game in Sicily will offer further clarity.

James Trafford will be hoping for a first appearance having re-signed for City last month. His battle with Ederson for first choice shot-stopper will be an intriguing one over the coming months with the Brazil international expected to stay put this summer before in all likelihood departing in 12 months time.

At the back, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Rayan Ait-Nouri are seemingly nailed on to fill three of the back four vacancies but who gets the nod in Palermo at right back might suggest who is favourite to hold down that role moving forward with Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis the main candidates although centre backs John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Abdukodir Khusanov can move across.

In midfield, Tijjani Reijnders emerged at the Club World Cup as a likely starter at Wolves alongside Rodri if the latter is fully fit for the season-opener. Nico Gonzalez had slipped down the pecking order and how many minutes he gets against the Serie A side will provide further evidence to either support or debunk the theory that he could potentially depart this summer if a suitable offer arrives. Mateo Kovacic is set to miss out through injury, as is the unwanted Kalvin Phillips.

Who starts in the forward roles behind Erling Haaland is anyone's guess with so many options at Guardiola's disposal. Bernardo Silva is club captain while Phil Foden will hope to recapture the form of 2023-24, Omar Marmoush impressed in his first six months at the Etihad and Rayan Cherki will want to stake his claim for a regular starting role.

Natural wingers Savio and Jeremy Doku, veteran Ilkay Gundogan, fit-again Oscar Bobb and talented teenagers Claudio Echeverri (injury depending) and Nico O'Reilly will also have a say while the game might also see new arrival Sverre Nypan involved.

Jack Grealish and James McAtee are expected to depart in the coming weeks and it remains to be seen if they will travel to Italy having been left out of the Club World Cup squad.

Who starts, who plays the most minutes and who is overlooked will go a long way to informing how City could line up at Molineux a week on Saturday.