Manchester City October Fixtures Preview

By Guest writer, Wed 06 October 2021 11:20


Manchester City October Fixtures PreviewA look ahead to games against Burnley, Club Brugge, Brighton, West Ham and Crystal Palace

An enthralling 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield last time out extended Manchester City's unbeaten Premier League run to six games in a row, and with the supposed toughest game out of the way, there’s a good chance the champions can continue to stay undefeated throughout October – you can get the odds for this bet and more here.

The Cityzens have picked themselves up from a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on the opening Premier League matchday.

The reigning English champions have since racked up four wins and a pair of draws in their six top-flight outings and are currently lagging two points behind league-leaders Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola's side will hope to emulate last season's October performances when they went unbeaten in all four Premier League matches (W2, D2).

Burnley (Premier League) - October 16

Man City's first Premier League fixture in October pits them against warm relegation candidates Burnley, who have failed to win any of their inaugural seven league games this season (D3, L4).

Burnley's lacklustre start to the season has nailed them to the drop zone heading into the international break, with Sean Dyche's side drawing a blank in two of their last three league outings.

A trip to the Etihad comes at the worst possible moment for the Clarets, as they've lost each of their last five Premier League visits to this venue by an aggregate score of 20-1.

Having won their last three top-flight H2Hs at home by an identical 5-0 scoreline, the Cityzens are overwhelming favourites to keep their four-match unbeaten home league streak going here (W3, D1).

An intimidating atmosphere at the Etihad had seen City register a brace of 5-0 Premier League triumphs over Norwich City and Arsenal before being held to a goalless draw to Southampton in their most recent league fixture here.

Therefore, Burnley's visit should provide Guardiola's side with a fairly winnable challenge ahead of their Champions League clash against Club Brugge.

Club Brugge (UEFA Champions League) - October 19

Man City opened their UEFA Champions League Group A campaign with a comprehensive 6-3 win over RB Leipzig at the Etihad but struggled to translate that form to Matchday 2.

Indeed, the Premier League heavyweights fell to a 2-0 away loss to Paris Saint-Germain in their most recent outing in the competition, as Lionel Messi scored against his former manager to break his PSG duck.

Despite a minor setback, the Cityzens are still hot favourites to progress into the knock-out round as they've done in their last eight Champions League appearances.

However, Brugge have already demonstrated this season that they have not entered the competition as spectators.

After pulling off a heroic 1-1 draw with PSG in their Group A curtain-raiser, the Belgian champions staged a massive upset in Germany last time out by eking out a 2-1 win over Leipzig.

Though City will head into proceedings as pre-match favourites, there is no doubt that Brugge have well deserved the benefit of the doubt here.

Brighton & Hove Albion (Premier League) - October 23

Man City will return to their domestic commitments on October 23 when they travel to the Amex Stadium to take on the Premier League surprise package Brighton & Hove Albion.

Graham Potter's men have defied every expectation this season, having gone undefeated in six of their first seven league fixtures, including the last four in a row.

But after putting together a pair of victories over the league newbies Brentford and Leicester City, the Seagulls have played out back-to-back draws with Crystal Palace and Arsenal.

That might suggest Brighton are losing steam following a string of impressive displays, though they went into the international window level on points with City.

Yet, the hosts can draw confidence from winning this exact fixture 3-2 last season, courtesy of a remarkable second-half comeback that saw them overturn a two-goal deficit.

However, it's worth mentioning that Brighton had lost three consecutive Premier League match-ups against City at the Amex beforehand, conceding an average of 3.66 goals per game in that run.

West Ham United (Carabao Cup) - October 27

Man City have begun their Carabao Cup defence with a thumping 6-1 victory over lower-league outfit Wycombe Wanderers.

The Cityzens are likely to face a more arduous task in the fourth round as they go up against fellow Premier League side West Ham United at the London Stadium.

David Moyes' side ousted City's cross-town rivals Manchester United in the previous round, courtesy of Manuel Lanzini's ninth-minute strike at Old Trafford.

Yet, the Hammers have failed to impress at home lately, losing both previous Premier League matches at the London Stadium by the same 2-1 scoreline.

An underwhelming domestic home form, coupled with West Ham's run of seven successive competitive home H2Hs without a win (D2, L5), explains City's status of pre-match favourites here.

However, Guardiola's players can ill-afford to underestimate the team that have found the net in all five competitive home outings this term, scoring 2+ goals three times in the process.

Crystal Palace (Premier League) - October 30

Man City's October Premier League action will come to a close on October 30 when they lock horns with underperforming Crystal Palace at the Etihad.

Despite coming from a 2-0 deficit to hold Leicester to a 2-2 home draw in their most recent Premier League fixture, the Eagles are seemingly facing another bottom-half struggle.

Barring a 3-0 thrashing of Tottenham at Selhurst Park in early September, Patrick Vieira's men have failed to win any of their remaining six Premier League matches this season (D4, L2).

As a result, they are currently hovering in 14th place, only four points clear of 18th-placed Burnley and are winless in their last three league games on the trot (D2, L1).

Additionally, you have to go back to early May to find Palace's last league win away from home, as they put last season's relegation boys Sheffield United to the sword at Bramall Lane.

But that victory remains the Londoners' solitary Premier League success on the road across their last nine trips (D2, L6) and also stands for one of their just two away league clean sheets this calendar year.