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Well, if you’d told me City would be opening their 2026/27 season in the Premier League, let alone against the most successful side of the ‘Premier League’ era this time last year, I would’ve said, ‘Wait, did you see that? It looked like a pig flying past!’ It still hasn’t fully sunk in yet. After that unforgettable day out in London just 3 months ago, City find themselves preparing to take on Manchester United to begin what will be yet another season where the Tigers look to defy all odds… Opponent Observations Man United had a decent pre-season tour, picking up a few good results & putting in some strong performances against top opposition. They began out in Scandinavia, where they faced Wrexham, Rosenborg, Atletico Madrid and PSG, only losing one of the four against City’s former playoff rivals Wrexham. United then rounded out their pre-season tour back in Ireland, where they beat Leeds United on penalties after drawing 1-1 in normal time, and finished off pre-season in Poland, where they took a pretty heavy beating from their former manager Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan. As everyone always says, pre-season results mean nothing, but if United’s form that they ended the 2025/26 season with is anything to go by, City might be in for a tough test on the opening day. The Red Devils ended last season by winning five out of their final six games, beating the likes of Chelsea, Brentford, Liverpool and Brighton, who were all pushing for Europe themselves, which ultimately put them on track to achieve their goal of Champions League football for the first time in two years. Head-to-Head The head-to-head is better than you’d expect, in all honesty! (mainly because we’ve not played in the same division in over 10 years, lol) In the most recent fixtures available, courtesy of the handy Fotmob (please sponsor me), City have faced the Red Devils on 8 occasions, winning once, drawing twice, and losing the remaining five. It is worth noting that only one of those losses was by more than two goals, not bad going considering the difference in team quality back in 2014! Where United fielded a front three of Angel Di Maria, Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney, in comparison to City’s strike partnership of Nikica Jelavic and Hatem Ben Arfa! Fun fact: City are currently unbeaten in their last two games against Man United, drawing 0-0 at Old Trafford in February 2017 and notching their only win in this head-to-head at home in January of the same year, winning 2-1 in the EFL Cup, only narrowly being eliminated on aggregate (3-2). Let’s hope the Tigers can continue their unbeaten streak ;) Key Players Bryan Mbeumo (Left) The Cameroonian international missed out on going to the World Cup over the summer after his nation failed to qualify for the tournament. However, the fact that Mbeumo had a free summer does not relate to his performances last season. Mbeumo made his big-money move from Brentford for just over £71 million this time last year, and hit the ground running in his debut campaign for the Red Devils, becoming one of their prized assets, contributing 15 combined goals and assists while featuring 33 times, making 31 starts in total. Bruno Fernandes (Middle) Fernandes is undeniably one of the best players in the league, and arguably in the world at the moment, and his recent numbers for Man United only help to back up that statement. Averaging just over 10 goals AND assists over the course of his 7 seasons in the red half of Manchester, fresh off the back of a record-breaking 21-assist season last year, Bruno has gradually become a United legend, earning himself the captain’s armband and becoming simply undroppable. Matheus Cunha (Right) Like Mbeumo, Cunha joined Man United this time last year as part of a squad overhaul, arriving from Wolves for just over £60 million. Cunha also had himself a respectable first season in red, scoring 10 times in all comps and also registering 2 assists, nailing down a starting spot as one of the first names on the team sheet. Their Last Few Pre-Season Man United 2 - 4 AC Milan Man United 1 - 1 Leeds United (5-4 on pens) Man United 1 - 1 PSG Man United 2 - 1 Atletico Madrid Rosenborg 0 - 5 Man United Man United 0 - 1 Wrexham Final 5 Premier League games, 2025/26 Brighton 0 - 3 Man United Man United 3 - 2 Nottingham Forest Sunderland 0 - 0 Man United Man United 3 - 2 Liverpool Man United 2 - 1 Brentford Predictions My predictions for the starting lineup to take on the Red Devils is as follows… From left to right: Goalkeeper: Konstantinos Tzolakis Left Back: Ryan Giles Centre Back: Nobel Mendy Centre Back: John Egan Right Back: Lewie Coyle Defensive Midfield: Lucas Gourna-Douath Defensive Midfield: Regan Slater Attacking Midfield: Matt Crooks Left Wing: Elliot Stroud Striker: Oli McBurnie Right Wing: Mohamed Belloumi Scoreline You know me, forever the optimist! Of course it’s going to be a tough old game to start what should be an amazing season, but I think now would be a perfect time to catch United napping after ending their pre-season camp with a hefty loss. I may not be completely biased, but I will predict a draw to start proceedings; I’m going for 1-1 and for Oli Mac to open his account for the season. Final Thoughts… It still doesn’t feel real yet, but I’m sure reality will start to set in come Saturday lunchtime. Whatever happens, not just on Saturday but across the whole season in general, I think we can all be grateful to be back in the top flight once again; it’s been 10 long years, so enjoy it! As always, Up the Premier League Tigers!!