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Manchester City return to the Etihad Stadium to face Coventry City on Saturday afternoon looking to make it a perfect nine points from a possible nine for Enzo Maresca so far. Last time out, the Blues secured their first away win of the 2026/27 campaign in style, running out 1-4 victors against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, as many onlookers struggled to find enough superlatives to describe the performance of Rayan Cherki. Enzo Maresca's men got off the mark in South London after just 17 minutes following a precise and purposeful Antoine Semenyo cross which found the head of Erling Haaland, who expertly nodded past Dean Henderson to give his side the lead. The remainder of the half was well contested, but nothing changed in regard to the scoreline until nine minutes after the half-time break when Cherki produced some sublime close control to evade multiple challenges and slot calmly into the back of the Crystal Palace net, doubling City's lead. In the 56th minute, the home support was handed a brief moment of rekindled hope as a flawless free kick from Yeremy Pino pulled one back for the Eagles after the Spaniard's set-piece crashed in off the back of Gianluigi Donnarumma. Hope for Pierre Sage's men was soon extinguished as Rayan Cherki conjured yet another moment of excellence and restored City's two-goal cushion with a long-range effort, taking a slight deflection off Chris Richards and skimming past a helpless Henderson. With just six minutes to play, Manchester City's inevitable frontman Erling Haaland latched onto an excellent pass from Phil Foden and smashed the ball into the roof of the net, making it 1-4 on the night and scoring his 10th career goal against Crystal Palace in just six games. Next up for Enzo Maresca's men is a clash against Frank Lampard's newly-promoted Coventry City, who suffered a 0-1 loss to Hull City in their most recent outing. The last time these two sides faced each other was over 24 years ago in Division One (now the Championship), and City achieved a 4-2 home triumph on that day in March 2002. Since last week's victory, another enthralling transfer window has also come to a close with City securing the signatures of three exciting recruits in Allan, Iliman Ndiaye, and Enzo Fernandez, whilst Jack Grealish, Jeremy Monga, Claudio Echeverri, and Stephen Mfuni have all left on season-long loans. With transfer business concluded and two wins from two in this new and intriguing era, here is how we expect Enzo Maresca to line up Manchester City as he hopes to maintain his flawless Premier League record for the Blues! Predicted XI Gianluigi Donnarumma looks to keep his place in goal as Manchester City's cemented first choice despite his unfortunate own goal in the English capital. The Italian also showed a marked improvement in both distribution and commanding of his area against Crystal Palace - an encouraging sign that may suggest that the 27-year-old is beginning to elevate even further and adapt to the tactical demands of his new head coach. Matheus Nunes is tipped to make a return at right-back despite his absence from the first-team squad in Manchester City's last fixture. Whilst Abdukodir Khusanov has done a more than respectable job of deputising for the Portugal international, it is clear the Uzbek's best position is in central defence, and Nunes can fulfil the role of a more traditional full-back. The 28-year-old was one of the Blues' most crucial players last campaign, starting 32 of 38 possible Premier League matches after a quite remarkable development into an established defender. In the heart of the defence, a partnership of Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol looks set to get the nod. The pair have started the season superbly, with both netting crucial goals in a seven-minute double salvo against Bournemouth to secure a 2-1 win, whilst Gvardiol also provided an assist against the Eagles. It is this ability to be so confident and comfortable in forward areas while fulfilling their defensive duties to an incredibly high standard that makes the pair unique and formidable defensive assets. Although it seems almost improbable that Ruben Dias will lose his place in the starting XI given his sheer quality, the depth City have in that position is immense, and dropping any of the first-team centre-backs seems unjust. At left-back, 2026 PFA Young Player of the Year Nico O'Reilly is likely to complete the back four. His physicality and ability in both boxes make the No.33 an impeccable full-back, particularly in the hyper-physical landscape of the Premier League. Despite not featuring there so far this term, he was outstanding throughout last season and will be hoping to pick up where he left off. In the engine room - and after months of speculation and an eye-watering, club-record, £125 million fee - FIFA World Cup-winning midfielder Enzo Fernandez has finally joined Manchester City and will be desperate to make an instant impact. A major factor in the deal was the midfielder's excellent relationship with Enzo Maresca from their time at Chelsea, during which Fernandez was integral to his squad, and he is expected to be just as important at Manchester City. The 25-year-old scored an equaliser for Chelsea in the dying embers of the game last time he visited the Etihad Stadium and will be keen to replicate a similar performance in his new colours against Saturday's opposition. Partnering the Argentine, Elliot Anderson is predicted to be in from the start against Frank Lampard's men. The 23-year-old was exceptional against Crystal Palace, covering every blade of grass and winning the ball back tirelessly, whilst also influencing everything positive that City produced in an attacking sense. The Blues’ new No.5 should certainly be in from the first eleven again on the weekend. Slightly ahead of this duo, who else occupies the No.10 role but the man of the moment, Rayan Cherki? Manchester City's French maestro has, in the 109 minutes he has played thus far, been the difference maker, providing two assists from the bench in the season opener against Bournemouth to complete a last-gasp comeback, followed by two exquisite goals away in South London to help ensure his team got all three points. It has become clear that Rayan Cherki has taken on the role of the conductor in the sky blue orchestra, being a constant creative outlet, and if Manchester City want to play their best football, the 23-year-old must start. Off the right flank, after a promising second-half display against the Eagles, Phil Foden looks set to maintain his position in the starting eleven and will be poised to try and build on his two assists against Crystal Palace in the hopes of finding form long-term and striving to reach the heights of 2023/24 once again. Manchester City's No.47 has undoubtedly struggled in recent seasons, but his ability is undeniable, and if he can get back to his razor-sharp best, Manchester City's attack will become even more of a force to be reckoned with. Leading the line, the selection is somewhat of a foregone conclusion, as Erling Haaland is simply undroppable. The Norwegian opened his account for the season with a splendid brace against Pierre Sage's side and will be as hungry as ever to add to that tally against new opponents, against whom he is yet to find the net. The 26-year-old will be laser-focused as he still looks to get his first home goal of the campaign at the Etihad Stadium, having not scored on the opening weekend for the first time since he arrived at Manchester City in 2022. Finally, Antoine Semenyo is predicted to make his third consecutive Premier League start at left wing in the absence of Belgian speedster Jeremy Doku through injury. The Ghanaian proved to be a handful for Anan Khalaili in his last match, turning provider for Erling Haaland with an inch-perfect cross, and he will be determined to produce more of the same on Saturday. Starting XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Guehi, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Anderson, Fernandez, Cherki; Foden, Haaland, Semenyo. Substitutes: Rulli, Dias, Khusanov, Ait-Nouri, Bouaddi, Kovacic, Allan, Ndiaye, McAidoo.