Overview
Man City have won both of the first 2 matches of the season against Bournemouth and Crystal Palace. Now, they are confidently aiming for the next 3 points when they only meet newcomer Coventry City at home.
Coach Maresca quickly applied his ball control philosophy to Man City, the team currently leading the Premier League in the number of successful passes (1,315) this season. 94.6% of their passes are short passes, the highest rate in the league, and they also lead in passing accuracy (90.9%) and passing accuracy under high pressure (85.8%).
Etihad is a solid support for Haaland and his teammates, where they have only lost two of their last 20 home matches in the English Premier League since the beginning of last season (15 wins, 3 draws). At the same time, they have also won in the first two home matches of the season in four of the last five seasons.
In addition, Man City also has impressive records against newly promoted clubs, winning 27 matches, drawing 3 matches and not losing any match in the last 30 encounters since Marcelo Bielsa's 1-2 defeat to Leeds in April 2021. However, Maresca's last encounter with a newly promoted club was a 1-3 defeat to Leeds when he was still coaching Chelsea in December 2025.
Coventry was the championship champion last season, but they did not start the Premier League this season as well as the other 2 newly promoted teams, Ipswich and Hull City. Coach Frank Lampard's team lost to Arsenal 0-3 in the opening match, before losing to Hull City 0-1 at home.
Lampard, a Chelsea legend and for a short time playing for Man City, has only won 4 of his last 32 Premier League matches (8 draws, 20 losses) as a coach. His last win at this level was a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth when he was Chelsea's interim coach in May 2023.
Only four times in history has Coventry suffered defeats in all three opening matches of the season, which were in the 1968-1969 seasons in the first division, and the 1919-20, 1949-50 and 2011-12 seasons in the second division. However, the team nicknamed Sky Blues has never lost all three opening matches without scoring a goal.
Coventry will travel to the Etihad Stadium in a position considered much lower than Man City. But statistics show that Coventry has been unbeaten in the last eight encounters with Man City in the Premier League (4 wins, 4 draws) since the first season 1992-1993, a season in which Man City won both at home and away against them.
Force information
Man City winger Jeremy Doku is still sidelined due to a calf injury, while Matheus Nunes is having muscle problems and his ability to play is still uncertain, so Abdukodir Khusanov can continue to play as right-back.
Maresca may consider giving an official debut opportunity to the £125 million newcomer, Enzo Fernandez, as the Argentine player will compete for a starting position in the central midfield with two other new signings, Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Iliman Ndiaye is another signing for Man City on the last day of the transfer window and may start on the left or right wing, although Maresca may decide to continue using Antoine Semenyo and Phil Foden on both wings.
However, Man City's main hope will be placed on Rayan Cherki, who has 5 goals and 10 assists in 20 Premier League starts. He will support Erling Haaland, who has scored 19 goals in 20 Premier League appearances against newly promoted clubs.
On Coventry's side, Haji Wright (hamstring injury) is still absent for a long time, while Frank Onyeka (hamstring injury) and Sidiki Cherif (physical fitness) are both absent from the defeat against Hull and will be carefully assessed before the match at the Etihad.
Expected lineups of the two teams:
Man City: Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol, Anderson, Bouaddi, Foden, Cherki, Semenyo, Haaland.
Coventry City: Rushworth, Van Ewijk, Thomas, Pinnock, Amenda, Dasilva, Yirenkyi, Grimes, Rudoni, Mason-Clark, Awoniyi.
