Manchester City

Manchester City will have learned a lot from their defeat by Paris St-Germain.

I was there for BBC Radio 5 Live and I thought City's second-half display was a magnificent response.

For those teams to meet at this early stage of the Champions League it was always going to be a good game, but it was never going to be tense because neither side were going to be knocked out.

PSG showed how good they are in the first half hour, but City will have gained a lot of confidence from their response. If they end up playing PSG again later in the competition, that second half will have done them the world of good psychologically.

There is obviously a lot of noise around City at the moment but in that game and against Liverpool last week, you could see the unity in their team.

They played with such intensity in the second half against PSG that I wonder how much that has taken out of them, but they will want to keep their foot on the throttle.

Fair play to Ipswich for coming back to beat Fulham the way they did, but I don't see them getting anything here.

We know Gary O'Neil's side will have a go and I really like their approach this season, but City will have too much quality for them.

Sutton's prediction: 4-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Saturday's match (15:00 BST), with Manchester City looking for a seventh consecutive league win as they host Ipswich.

Seven up for City?

Manchester City may have been humbled by Paris St-Germain on Wednesday, but their Premier League record under Enzo Maresca remains flawless. Victory on Saturday would give them seven wins from seven, their best start to a league season in 129 years and the first time they have achieved the feat in the top flight.

The only previous sides to win their opening seven Premier League games were Chelsea in 2005 and Liverpool in 2019, both of whom went on to win the title comfortably.

For Maresca's team, however, the prospect of punishment for breaching Premier League financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18 leaves uncertainty over what their fast start may ultimately count for.

But City's performance in last weekend's 3-0 victory at Liverpool suggests the threat of a severe penalty is unlikely to distract them in the short term, and anything other than a home win on Saturday would be a major surprise.

They are unbeaten in 31 league games against newly promoted opposition, winning 28 of those fixtures, and scored 10 goals in their two meetings with Ipswich in 2024-25. Their last defeat by the Tractor Boys came in May 2001, when a 2-1 loss at Portman Road confirmed City's relegation.

Ipswich's late shows

Ipswich's last victory away to Manchester City came at Maine Road in November 2000, but supporters making the long trip to Etihad Stadium will be buoyed by their dramatic win over Fulham. The result gave the Tractor Boys their third league victory of the season, just one fewer than they managed in total during their most recent top-flight campaign in 2024-25.

Manager Gary O'Neil said his side "looked fitter" than the Cottagers in the closing stages, with Abdoul Ouattara striking in the 88th minute and Dara O'Shea heading an injury-time winner. Late goals have been a recurring feature of O'Neil's tenure, with victories over Sunderland and Crystal Palace also secured in dramatic fashion.

Before this season, Ipswich had played 240 Premier League games and scored a 90th-minute winner in only three of them. They have already matched that tally in six matches this term and are one short of the competition record for a season.

Recent trips to Manchester, however, have ended with the Tractor Boys on the receiving end of comebacks. They took the lead after seven minutes at the Etihad in August 2024 but were 3-1 down by the 16th minute and eventually lost 4-1.

The Suffolk side have scored first in their past three games away to Manchester City or Manchester United but lost on each occasion, conceding 12 goals in total.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Journalist

Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Ipswich Town at Etihad Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Maresca said he is thinking about giving Erling Haaland "some rest and days off", adding: "It's not just Erling, other players are also playing all the games with us and their national team. Elliot [Anderson], Enzo [Fernandez], Marc [Guehi] and Ruben [Dias], at some point, we need to give them some rest."

• He confirmed Phil Foden is available again after returning from suspension: "Since his red card and the international break, it has been quite long, but he is training well and is very positive. We have so many games [coming up] so we will decide if he starts [on Saturday] or not. There is no doubt that he is going to give us something."

• The City boss feels his team "probably deserved something more" from their defeat against Paris St-Germain in the Champions League, adding: "I reviewed the game on Thursday morning and before we conceded the first goal we had [chances]. After we conceded we lost distance between players and the balance. The second half was fantastic."

• On midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who impressed as a second-half substitute: "I decided to go less physicality and more technical with Rayan [Cherki], but against these teams you need to be quite strong in the middle. Bouaddi, Enzo and Elliot can for sure be a solution in the future."

• More on the 19-year-old: "He is a fantastic player. When he is on the pitch, all the players around him improve. They are better players."

• On Saturday's opponents: "We lost to them away and we drew at home [when he was Chelsea's head coach]. They have had the whole week to prepare the game, so they can change something and surprise us. We played 48 hours ago. It is going to be a very tough game. It is a great opportunity to win and go six points ahead of second place."

• Pep Guardiola was in attendance in Paris on Tuesday and Maresca confirmed he talked to him afterwards, revealing the former manager was "very happy" to be back and "very positive" about the game.

Hit play above to hear more from Maresca or listen on BBC Sounds here

Listen to full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 15:00 BST on Saturday

Find more from Maresca by pressing play above or on BBC Sounds

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Vitor Matos is unsure whether Jeremy Monga may be recalled by Manchester City in January, with the teenage winger yet to make an appearance for Swansea City.

The Swans looked to have pulled off a coup when they signed England Under-19 international Monga on loan before last month's transfer deadline.

But the 17-year-old, who moved to the Etihad Stadium from Leicester City in a £10m deal over the summer, is yet to make a matchday squad since switching to south Wales.

Matos says Championship leaders Swansea are "in contact all the time" with Monga's parent club.

"There's a lot of things that, when you have a player on loan, you need to do and communicating is one of them," said the Swansea head coach.

"There's a lot of communication, and we are here with an open book about it. He's available, of course, but at the moment we have a really competitive squad.

"We need to make decisions regarding all the possibilities, to try to cover all scenarios on the bench as well, regarding how the game goes, let's say it like that.

"So far, Jeremy didn't make the squad, but let's see."

Monga, who became the third youngest player in Premier League history while at Leicester, had hoped to get regular football at Swansea, having scored once in 37 senior appearances for the Foxes.

But the likes of Moussa Yeo, Joseph Opoku, Eom Jisung and Ronald have been ahead of him in the pecking order at Swansea this season.

When asked whether Manchester City could opt to cut Monga's loan spell short, Matos said: "Let's see, we don't know.

"He's trying to make steps, he's trying to compete, he's trying to improve in a competitive squad.

"So I think there's still a lot of time. He's a really young player with a lot of potential; that's why he's at Manchester City and made games with Leicester, but at the moment that's our squad, so let's see for the future."

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Manchester City supporters became famous for an unusual sight on the terraces: inflatable bananas. What began as a light-hearted joke soon turned into one of the most memorable fan crazes in English football.

Uma Doraiswamy tells the story of football, terrace culture and one of the game's most unlikely symbols. She speaks to former Manchester City striker Imre Varadi, whose name became intertwined with the phenomenon, and also hears from Dr Gary James, a lifelong City supporter who was among the first to embrace the fruity craze.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here

As the noise around Manchester City continues, one question being asked by the club's supporters is: what exactly were the fans supposed to do?

City fan and content creator Steven Mcinerney unpacks the reaction to their support at Anfield, the media narrative surrounding the club, and why football loyalty is rarely as simple as outsiders make it seem.

"It's probably fair to say that life has been a little bit chaotic as a Manchester City fan," he said.

"Growing up watching City in the 1990s-2000s, we were an insanely emotional club - highs, lows.

"It's a crazy time to be a Man City fan, but the past three or four weeks have probably taken the biscuit.

"The fervour around Man City has reached fever pitch levels - the noise, the expectation, the intensity, the arguments have been absolutely absurd.

"City were absolutely brilliant at Anfield, but that didn't stop people sharpening their knives. If I am being honest, it sort of annoys me a little bit. I feel like a lot of the analysis around fans and their behaviour has been a little bit disingenuous.

"I don't really know what people expected fans to do when they were so visibly and forcefully backed into a corner.

"The narrative around Manchester City has been one of guilt, absolutely. City have been found guilty, and I get it, but there has been a real urge to tell Manchester City fans what to feel and that they should protest against the owners, that they should feel remorse. I don't really buy that.

"The conversation around City's owners from a City fan perspective will come at the right time for City fans.

"The only thing they could do in a game of that magnitude away at Anfield was to support their team. That's what they did.

"Did they use the charges to mock themselves and mock the Premier League? Absolutely.

"Was it the right thing to do? Absolutely. City won 3-0. The fans had a wonderful time, they had a laugh and enjoyed themselves.

"They used self-deprecating humour to wind up Liverpool and the Premier League.

"Isn't that what football is all about, that tribalism?"

Listen to more from Mcinerney by pressing play above or on BBC Sounds here

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

How will fans from other clubs react to Manchester City this season?

Unsurprisingly, Liverpool fans were not impressed at Anfield on Sunday.

Liverpool have good reason to feel aggrieved, having lost as much as anyone to Manchester City over the years while the boundaries of financial probity were stretched longer than the M62 motorway that separates them.

Will all other fans feel the same fury? Some will never forgive City if they are found guilty post appeal for nearly a billion pounds worth of financial chicanery.

Others will feel the pain of lost glories they could have had.

What about the players that might have been tempted to sign for their club too had City not been splashing the cash so exorbitantly? Imagine if just Erling Haaland had gone to Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester United instead of City. How different would the football world look now?

Many do not like where the money has come from but others simply admire the brilliance and beauty of City's play. David Silva is my favourite ever Premier League player, and I'm not even a City fan.

They undoubtedly raised the standard in the league and, under Pep Guardiola in particular, changed how football was played in England.

If they do feel that opprobrium raining down on them every week from every set of fans, how will it affect them?

Here is the bad news if you are not a Sky Blue: it will probably not impact them at all.

It might even affect performances positively. They will develop a siege mentality, stick together as a group and feed off the energy, even if it is negative.

Footballers are ultra-resilient and City's players might even learn to enjoy it. As Liverpool discovered, there is a certain exquisite pleasure in silencing your critics by beating them.

Tempting though it is, it is probably safer not to rattle that particular cage.

The big take: Booing Man City might come naturally to many, but it may well only bring more pain.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Turkey midfielder Arda Guler, 21, has agreed a new deal at Real Madrid after summer interest from Manchester City and Arsenal. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton says Manchester City were "absolutely smothered" by Paris St-Germain in their 4-2 loss at Etihad Stadium, with ex-Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam highlighting their "vulnerability on transition".

Enzo Maresca's side, who are currently one of three unbeaten teams in the Premier League, fell to their first defeat since the Community Shield final on 16 August.

Speaking about the Champions League performance on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, Sutton said: "Enzo Maresca will have learned that you can be beaten by good teams if you aren't on point yourself.

"Manchester City could have been a bit braver and a bit more composed on the night, but they seemed a bit bewitched in the first half. They do have great players and great technicians, but they were absolutely smothered by their opponents.

"The way Paris St-Germain pressed in the first half, I haven't ever seen a team press like that before. They are so ferocious with their intensity.

"We also have to factor in their record against Premier League teams because it is absolute phenomenal. I can imagine the Manchester City players saying in the dressing room: 'We lost but it was an OK performance'.

"They might even get another chance to face Paris St-Germain later on in the competition, so they can keep this performance in the memory bank. I do think that if they can be braver next time around, they can get the win."

Adam added: "Enzo Maresca mentioned before this fixture that he wasn't sure how close his team was to Paris St-Germain's level - and I think he's got his answer.

"They are too vulnerable on transition. I'm definitely sure that you cannot give Paris St-Germain's attacking players that much space, so that is a big concern from me regarding Manchester City.

"I think it's just about getting more understanding into certain partnerships at the minute in terms of who sits behind the ball, who protects the central spaces and who is going to stop the counter-attacks.

"The balance just isn't quite right at the minute."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds here

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City returned to the welcoming surroundings of home for the first time since being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations awash with defiance and presenting an 'us against the world' united front.

Pep Guardiola was back at the place he decorated with success for a decade in a public show of support to embattled chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano, the Catalan a low-key presence clad in a flat cap sitting a row behind the pair.

Guardiola sometimes looked just as engaged as he did when he prowled the touchline here at Etihad Stadium, collecting the trophies now being called into question.

When Josko Gvardiol had a header cleared off the line Guardiola clutched his face in anguish. When Erling Haaland scored a goal that threatened to offer Manchester City an unlikely lifeline, he remained seated but pumped his fists into the air.

If Guardiola was a neutral observer, he would have relished a game of glorious chaos, the first half embellished by Paris St-Germain before City mounted superb momentum after the break.

As a lover of pure football with the emphasis placed firmly on attack, he may have enjoyed it anyway. The post-match discussion with Enzo Maresca would certainly have had a busy agenda.

Maresca felt he saw enough to give City hope should they meet PSG again later in the Champions League, despite the manner in which they were dismantled in the first half.

"I really like playing against PSG because they are brave," said Maresca. "We know the way they want to press. They go man-to-man and they are very dynamic on the ball. They are the best team in Europe. They play fantastic football.

"We feel sorry for the first half but I think we're quite happy now."

Read more on Guardiola's return and Man City's performance here

We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Champions League game between Manchester City and Paris St-Germain.

Here are some of your comments:

Brian: City were star-struck for 37 minutes as PSG truly bowled them over and played champions-style football at a pace we couldn't respond too. The second half was all City and, with over 20 chances on goal, finishing was the problem. The woodwork came to the rescue for PSG. This was a night to remember for City, and they know in their hearts that they gave a victory to PSG.

Spud: Beaten by a better side. Manchester City played better in the second half, and it was a good game. I can't say any more than that.

Harry: The first half was a footballing lesson. The second half, however, was complete dominance from us. We are too reliant on Erling Haaland for goals. It's becoming clear that Antoine Semenyo is a Premier League winger and does not suit Europe. I truly believe we were the better team and probably could have drawn or won with Iliman Ndiaye and Jeremy Doku on the pitch. We've been terrible in the first half of games recently. We got violated by the best team in the world, but I like to think we'll learn from this.

Thomas: Despite the result, I'm really happy with that second-half performance. Ayyoub Bouaddi looks like some player.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after Manchester City's defeat: "It was a completely different Manchester City team in the second half and they were the team that were pressing PSG. PSG couldn't play out and I think City had more than 21 shots in the second half.

"They gave PSG a real going over. Of course they have lost the game but sport is about psychology at times and if they do meet later on in the tournament, this will be in the memory bank. The first half will be, but there will also be the confidence from the second half."

Former City midfielder Owen Hargreaves told TNT Sports: "Manchester City in the second half were unbelievable. Credit to Enzo Meresca because he realised that they needed more physicality, they needed more aggression and legs. Second half they were brilliant but that fourth goal killed them.

"[Ayyoub] Bouaddi was amazing without the ball, and that's what it is. You have to get back into the game, press and be aggressive. What a partnership he'll have [with Elliott Anderson]. Anderson was fantastic today. Steven Gerrard was probably one of the best I have ever played with, but Anderson tries to grab the game like Gerrard.

"He won't give up, and I love that in a football player. The game was almost out of sight but he keeps going, and Gerrard was the best at that. He would grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Every time you watch Elliott he gives his best."

Enzo Maresca spoke to TNT Sports after Manchester City's defeat against Paris Saint-Germain: "I think we start quite good until the first goal and then we concede the second one after one minute. That created some bad feelings. Second half, we were much better and probably deserved something more.

"It was a bit strange, to be honest. Until the first goal, we started quite good, we were in the game, then we conceded the first and then the second one. We didn't lose half-time, we adjusted something. We created enough to deserve something more.

"We adjusted a bit when we were pressing. I think we lost a bit of the balance.

"Even with 3-0 in the first half, with the amount of chances we created in the second half, we deserved more. Luis said at the end of the game that they were quite lucky today.

"You have to be clinical but not lose the balance.

On his message to the fans: "We are sorry for the first half for sure. Saturday is a Premier League game and we need to continue our run."

Did you know?

• Manchester City conceded four or more goals in a home game in any European competition for the very first time.

• City have lost four of their last seven UEFA Champions League home games – more than their previous 50 beforehand (three).

Starting XI:

Gianluigi Donnarumma: Bad night. Should have saved Doue's opener when he was slow to get down to his right. Poor distribution for PSG's third, then a save dropped in behind him for the fourth. Saved penalty but damage done. 4

Abdukodir Khusanov: Surprise selection at right-back and it did not pay off. Tough night against Doue. Switched to the centre with the game effectively lost at 3-0. 5

Ruben Dias: Struggled as much as any City defender in the face of PSG's brilliance. Off at half-time. 5

Marc Guehi: Lost Dembele when he headed in PSG's second. Not a comfortable night for anyone in City's defence. 5

Josko Gvardiol: Missed good headed chance and had another header cleared off the line but tough task defensively. 5

Elliot Anderson: Worked hard as ever but was at times over-run by PSG's magnificent midfield. 5

Enzo Fernandez: Struggled to exert any influence or authority in midfield. Missed great headed chance and struck the woodwork after the break. 5

Antoine Semenyo: Poor first half and slightly better second. 5

Rayan Cherki: Never given a chance to produce his magic – PSG simply would not allow it. Did not make the second half. 4

Jeremy Doku: Some surging runs but could not make an impact. Substituted at half-time. 5

Erling Haaland: Tireless. Scored two and could have had more. 7

Substitutes:

Matheus Nunes (on 45, Dias): Little contribution other than giving away a penalty. 5

Ayyoub Bouaddi (on 45, Cherki): Some nice touches. 5

Iliman Ndiaye (on 45, Doku): Lively and created Haaland's goal. 6

Nico O'Reilly (on 90, Fernandez)

Read the full article and see how you rated the players