Man City get early Premier League fixture boost amid injury concerns

Manchester City are not in great shape heading into the start of their Premier League campaign but face two teams with issues of their own

Rayan Ait-Nouri could make his Manchester City debut at former club Wolves(Image: AP Photo/John Raoux)

It's fair to say that Pep Guardiola isn't expecting Manchester City to be close to their best in the opening weeks of the Premier League season. Injury problems for Mateo Kovacic and Rodri leave the holding midfield role vulnerable again, while elsewhere in the squad rest has been prioritised over the rhythm of more routine.

Guardiola normally craves the opportunity to work with his players on the training pitch, yet turned down the chance to talk up the last few weeks by instead wondering aloud if the team have played enough friendlies. A behind-closed-doors game against Preston and Saturday's trip to Palermo is considerably less than other teams.

Of course there was the Club World Cup earlier in the summer, although Guardiola spoke of that with a regret that they had not gone further. Their shock exit to Al Hilal in the last-16 robbed them of at least one more lucrative pay day, and more importantly for the manager the chance for the squad to gel and build relationships on and off the pitch.

Instead, they collapsed against their Saudi opponents and serious question marks remain over whether they have solved that brittleness that scuppered last season. If City are trying not to raise expectations for the first three games, they can at least take comfort that all has not been brilliant for their early opponents.

Wolves have lost Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha to City and United respectively, and their friendlies have seen two draws and four defeats from six winless games. Molineux has always been a tough place for City to go but they will not be going up against a confident group on Saturday.

Then there's Tottenham, who will almost certainly find some new way to inexplicable get the three points but in reality have seen considerable change and setbacks. Captain Son Heung-min has departed and James Maddison has cruelly suffered an ACL injury that means more work for new coach Thomas Frank as he looks to put his mark on a group that had pledged themselves to Ange Postecoglou.

They did beat Arsenal in a friendly but Harry Kane missed a penalty in their most recent game and Bayern still won 4-0. On Wednesday evening, they take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup in a game that has long been predicted as another heavy defeat.

None of that means Spurs or Wolves are going to roll over for City, with both matches proving difficult in recent years. Given the Blues had no control over their fixtures though, it could have been a lot worse as Guardiola tries to survive the opening weeks as his team build up the fluidity and fitness that they will need for what is hoped will be a long season ahead.

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