By MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City will host newly promoted Ipswich Town on Saturday in their first Premier League meeting since two thousand one.
City began their title defense with a two-nil victory over Chelsea last Sunday. They now aim to win their opening two league games for the third consecutive season.
Pep Guardiola’s side enters the match on a thirty-game unbeaten home league run, winning twenty-four and drawing six. They have defeated eight of the last nine newly-promoted teams to visit the Etihad Stadium by at least two goals.
Ipswich Town, returning to the top flight after a twenty-one-year absence, lost their opening match two-nil to Liverpool. This will be their first Premier League away game since May two thousand two.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, formerly a coach at Manchester United, faces the challenge of leading his team against the reigning champions. In their last Premier League season, Ipswich suffered six defeats in their final seven away games.
Erling Haaland, who scored City’s opener against Chelsea, has found the net against all three newly-promoted sides in his two seasons at the club. Ipswich’s Liam Delap, a former City academy player, returns to face his old club. Nine of Delap’s last ten club goals have either opened the scoring or equalized.
Manchester City have conceded exactly one goal in five of their last six home league games.
The last time these teams shared a division, Ipswich won both encounters, and City were subsequently relegated. However, given City’s current form, a repeat of that outcome seems unlikely.
Ipswich fans have sold out their away allocation for this fixture, demonstrating strong support for their team’s return to top-flight football.
The match presents a significant challenge for Ipswich as they face the Premier League champions, while City look to extend their strong start to the season.
