Manchester City FC v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League
Guardiola and City go again in August (Picture: Getty Images)
Manchester City will open the 2025-26 Premier League campaign against Wolves when the new season gets underway in August.
A run of four consecutive title triumphs came to an end last season as Pep Guardiola’s side staggered through a season that ended without silverware.
City will have their first crack at the Premier League champions when they take on Liverpool on November 8, while the first Manchester derby against United falls on September 13.
The 2025/26 Premier League season will start on the weekend of August 16/17 – just 83 days after the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
City, alongside Chelsea, are currently competing in the Club World Cup in the US.
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It has been all change at the Etihad since the end of the 2024-25 campaign with Kevin de Bruyne leaving the club after 10 years.
City will hope Rayan Cherki can be their new catalyst for success with Tijjani Reijnders also arriving from AC Milan.
Man City Premier League fixtures in full
Aug 16 – Wolverhampton (A)
Aug 23 – Tottenham Hotspur (H)
Aug 30 – Brighton (A)
Sep 13 – Manchester United (H)
Sep 20 – Arsenal (A)
Sep 27 – Burnley (H)
Oct 4 – Brentford (A)
Oct 18 – Everton (H)
Oct 25 – Aston Villa (A)
Nov 1 – Bournemouth (H)
Nov 8 – Liverpool (H)
Nov 22 – Newcastle United (A)
Nov 29 – Leeds United (H)
Dec 3 – Fulham (A)
Dec 6 – Sunderland (H)
Dec 13 – Crystal Palace (A)
Dec 20 – West Ham United (H)
Dec 27 – Nottingham Forest (A)
Dec 30 – Sunderland (A)
Jan 3 – Chelsea (H)
Jan 7 – Brighton (H)
Jan 17 – Manchester United (A)
Jan 24 – Wolverhampton (H)
Jan 31 – Tottenham Hotspur (A)
Feb 7 – Liverpool (A)
Feb 11 – Fulham (H)
Feb 21 – Newcastle United (H)
Feb 28 – Leeds United (A)
Mar 4 – Nottingham Forest (H)
Mar 14 – West Ham United (A)
Mar 21 – Crystal Palace (H)
Apr 11 – Chelsea (A)
Apr 18 – Arsenal (H)
Apr 25 – Burnley (A)
May 2 – Everton (A)
May 9 – Brentford (H)
May 17 – A.F.C. Bournemouth (A)
May 24 – Aston Villa (H)
What Pep Guardiola has said ahead of new season
Guardiola ended speculation over his future by signing a new contract in November.
The former Barcelona boss recently revealed he demanded he be allowed to work with a smaller squad next term – a key factor in him staying on to try and topple Liverpool once again.
‘I said to the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad],’ Guardiola said.
‘I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay.
‘It’s impossible for my soul to [tell] my players in the tribune that they cannot play.
‘Now it happened to add players immediately. Maybe for three or four months, we couldn’t select 11 players, we didn’t have defenders, it was so difficult. After, people come back but next season it cannot be like that.
‘As a manager, I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six, stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club I don’t want that.’
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