After beating Arsenal in the opening round of the new Premier League season, Manchester City are now faced with a much easier task. But, they mustn’t get complacent, as Huddersfield will be looking to cause an upset like they did in May, when the game between these two finished as a draw. But, can they pull it off? Find out in this Manchester City vs Huddersfield match preview!
Manchester City
Last season’s champions of the Premier League are hoping to achieve the same level of success in 2018/2019. Actually, their ambitions this season are even higher, as they’ve set their eyes on the Champions League title as well. In order to make their dreams a reality, Manchester City have to defeat everyone, meaning that there’s no room to relax in the duel with Huddersfield this Sunday.
Last time they played Huddersfield at the Etihad was in May and the final score was 0:0. At that time, Man City weren’t in need of points as the title was already in their hands. But, now is much different. The season has just started and they need to win this, not only cause of 3 points but also to give their players confidence.
If you’re wondering why would they need a confidence boost, after beating the Gunners comfortably in the opening round, the reason is that one of their key players got injured recently. I’m talking about Kevin De Bruyne, who’s having problems with his knee and is likely to miss quite a few matches because of that.
Of course, it’s Manchester City we’re talking about here, a team that has at least two amazing players for each positon on the pitch. De Bruyne might be one of their best players, but even he isn’t irreplaceable. I’m sure Pep Guardiola will find a way to fill that gap in the middle.
Huddersfield
Even though they got hammered by Chelsea in the first round, they did look alright on several occasions in that game. It’s not a surprise, knowing that Huddersfield have a pretty good team, made of disciplined players who are both strong and fast. That makes them great at defending, although the result from the Chelsea game suggests otherwise.
But, let’s take a look at their last season’s performances. They allowed a total of 58 goals, but most of those were conceded early on in the season. In the last couple of rounds, when they needed points to stay in the league, Huddersfield managed to keep their sheet clean on several occasions. Actually, they did it even when faced against some heavyweight teams, including Man City.
That said, you can be certain that they’re traveling to Manchester to defend with all they got and look for their chances from breaks. But, will it be enough to win points against mighty Man City? Probably not, but at least they will try to save their dignity and not get thrashed.
Team News
Manchester City absentees
- Kevin De Bruyne (injury)
- Danilo (injury)
Huddersfield absentees
- Danny Williams (doubtful)
Possible Lineups
Manchester City
Ederson – Laporte, Kompany, Walker, Mendy – Gundogan, Fernandinho, Silva, Sane, Sterling – Aguero
Huddersfield
Hamer – Kongolo, Schindler, Jorgensen, Hadergjonaj, Lowe – Hogg, Mooy, Billing, Pritchard – Mounie
Manchester City vs. Huddersfield Match Prediction
The fact that Kevin De Bruyne is worth more than the whole squad of Huddersfield shows the difference in quality between these two teams. But, this is the Premier League, a competition where anything can happen. We’ve witnessed surprises so many times, so nothing can shock us. Still, it would be really strange if Manchester didn’t beat Huddersfield with a big goal difference. My betting tip is that we’re going to see more than 3 goals in Huddersfield’s net.
Manchester City vs. Huddersfield Betting Tips
- Manchester City AH -2.5 @2.85 (Unibet)