Manchester City will play their first pre-season friendly of the summer in the early hours of Wednesday morning when they take on Scottish giants Celtic.
The Cityzens haven’t been in action since their FA Cup final defeat to local rivals Manchester United at the end of last season, but have jetted off to the United States as they prepare for the 2024/25 campaign. Pep Guardiola’s side will play a handful of friendlies across the pond, including clashes with Barcelona, Milan and Chelsea.
Celtic are closer to full fitness than their upcoming English opponents having played three friendlies already. Their most recent was a convincing 4-0 victory over Major League Soccer side D.C. United in their first US outing.
Here is 90min’s guide to Man City vs Celtic.
Man City vs Celtic H2H Record (All Time)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Man City |
Celtic |
|---|---|
|
Man City 1-2 Man Utd – 25/05/24 |
D.C. United 0-4 Celtic – 21/07/24 |
|
Man City 3-1 West Ham – 19/05/24 |
Queen’s Park 4-6 Celtic – 10/07/24 |
|
Tottenham 0-2 Man City – 14/05/24 |
Ayr United 1-1 Celtic – 05/07/24 |
|
Fulham 0-4 Man City – 11/05/24 |
Celtic 1-0 Rangers – 25/05/24 |
|
Man City 5-1 Wolves – 04/05/24 |
Celtic 3-2 St Mirren – 18/05/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
CITY+, Celtic TV (subscriptions required) |
|
United States |
fuboTV, ESPN2, ESPN+ ESPN App, ESPN Deportes, CITY+ (subscription required) |
|
Canada |
CITY+ (subscription required) |
Man City may still be without goalkeeper Ederson for their pre-season opener, although he has travelled to the US. The Brazilian missed the Copa America this summer after fracturing his eye socket at the end of last season, with Stefan Ortega likely to start in his place.
The Cityzens are still missing a number of their players after recent international action, with the likes of Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake and Rodri unavailable.
Man City predicted lineup vs Celtic (4-3-3): Ortega; Lewis, Katongo, Mbete, Wilson-Esbrand; Perrone, Phillips, Wright; Bobb, Haaland, Grealish.
Kasper Schmeichel is Brendan Rodgers’ latest signing at Celtic, with the former Man City goalkeeper potentially making his debut against his former club. His fellow stopper and another summer recruit Viljami Sinisalo could also feature having made the £1m move from Aston Villa.
Rodgers fielded a strong side against D.C. United several nights ago and should do the same against Man City. Despite being the subject of significant Atalanta interest, Matt O’Riley featured and scored twice in the 4-0 victory.
Celtic predicted lineup vs Man City (4-3-3): Sinisalo; Ralston, Lagerbielke, Scales, Taylor; O’Riley, McGregor, Hatate; Forrest, Furuhashi, Palma.
Man City should taste victory in their opening pre-season friendly but have been forced into choosing a youthful squad for their trip to the United States. That will give Celtic hope of causing something of an upset – if that’s even possible in pre-season.
However, while their defence is very inexperienced, City still have the likes of Erling Haaland, Oscar Bobb and Jack Grealish in the final third. It could be a high-scoring affair.
Prediction: Man City 3-2 Celtic
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