Five things to watch for in Manchester City vs Ipswich Town

Manchester City returns to the Etihad Stadium for the first time this season and faces Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town.

The Tractor Boys are the 100th different opponents City have faced at the Etihad Stadium, with teams ranging from Rotherham United to Real Madrid, but they have little hope of coming away from the game undefeated.

Here are five things to look out for before the game:

Gundo Back

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The main topic of conversation before this game is undeniably this: Ilkay Gündogan is back as a Manchester City player.

The 33-year-old German returns to the club from Barcelona, ​​signing a one-year contract after leaving the club on a free transfer.

Gundogan is registered and has been given the number 19 shirt. He can play this weekend, but I don’t think he will be in the starting line-up, especially after Kovacic’s outstanding performance against Chelsea last week.

Pep Guardiola confirmed that Gündogan could well play this weekend and that he would not need much time to settle in as he is already familiar with the system and Guardiola’s requirements.

He could also be in contention for the captain’s armband again depending on how his players vote and whether they decide to keep Kyle Walker, re-elect Gundogan or go for someone else entirely such as Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri or Ruben Dias.

The story, of course, would be that Gundogan receives a De Bruyne-style reception against Sheffield United during the warm-up before coming on to the field, scoring a goal and sending the Etihad Stadium into an uproar.

Given Gündogan’s eye for goal in the most important games, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if that actually happened. And if it did happen, it would be by far the biggest headline of the weekend.

Foden’s return to the team

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After Foden came on as a substitute for 45 minutes against Chelsea, we can expect him to start against Ipswich Town and look to score his first goal of the season.

City’s number 47 was quiet last week, but against Ipswich we will likely see him play more centrally, a position in which he often excels.

Whether he starts as a central midfielder or moves inside from the wing, he will touch the ball more often and have a greater influence on the game.

After receiving his well-deserved PFA Player of the Season award on Tuesday night, Foden will be looking to make a name for himself again this season.

Will Grealish start?

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It’s a great season for Jack Grealish.

Competition for wing spots has never been higher, with Foden, Savinho, Jeremy Doku and the currently injured Oscar Bobb all able to play alongside Grealish on the left wing.

The 28-year-old had a good pre-season but a minor injury forced him out of the Community Shield against Manchester United and last week he was an unused substitute against Chelsea.

With neither Doku nor Savinho having done much to lose their starting place and Foden now back in the game, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that Grealish will be in the starting line-up against Ipswich.

However, I would really like him to and think there is a chance he could be in the starting line-up, especially if Foden and De Bruyne are both deployed centrally as Guardiola looks for more control from outside.

Guardiola has previously mentioned that Foden and De Bruyne are most likely to be deployed together in the middle in home games against deep-lying teams, and Ipswich seem to be the perfect opponents to meet that criteria.

Should this happen, I expect Guardiola to start at least one of Grealish or Bernardo Silva on the wings to provide more control. This could be the perfect opportunity for City’s record signing to get back into the team.

Impact of City’s substitutes

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Whichever formation Guardiola chooses, he will leave plenty of options for substitutes.

If he starts Grealish and Bernardo on the wings and De Bruyne and Foden in the middle, that leaves Savinho, Doku, James McAtee, Matheus Nunes and the “new signing” Gündogan as options from the bench to fill those positions.

Oscar Bobb, currently out injured with a broken leg, will be another option once he is fit, while Rodri is a guaranteed starter when fully fit. That means his current deputy Mateo Kovacic will be another name on the list when the Spaniard returns to training soon.

There are also rumours that another player will be brought in to replace Julian Alvarez before the end of the transfer window. Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi is also said to be of interest.

This is probably the best and most complete squad Guardiola has ever had at his disposal, giving the team an advantage in close matches as it allows them to use a range of different and effective options to change the game.

Haaland wants to continue his goal record

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Since his arrival in 2022, every Premier Club has fallen victim to Erling Haaland’s inevitable goal-scoring ability.

This applies to every Premier League club except Ipswich.

Haaland has scored against every Premier League club in his first season for Sky Blue since joining, including Leicester City and Southampton, the other two promoted sides.

He scored his first goal last week against Chelsea, showcasing all of his best qualities: the power to deny Marc Cucurella, the acceleration to burst into the box and the composure in front of goal to lob the ball past Robert Sanchez and score.

But Ipswich is a new destination for him and after their defence looked a little porous against Liverpool last week, it gives him confidence that he can continue his remarkable record and remain in his own stratosphere in terms of goalscoring.