Man City vs. Atletico Madrid: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Manchester City take on Atlético Madrid in Seoul a week out from the Community Shield, where they’ll face Premier League champions Arsenal in Cardiff.

Enzo Maresca claimed his first win as City boss against the K-League All Stars last time out, as an impressive first half showing saw the Cityzens race into a 3–1 half-time lead. Things became more disjointed as changes were made, with no goals forthcoming after the restart.

Before that, City played out a 1–1 draw with Inter Milan in a repeat of the 2023 Champions League final, losing in the penalty shootout that followed.

They’re now meeting Diego Simeone’s Atléti in the Korean capital, with the La Liga side’s stay in Far East Asia only brief. So far in preseason, Los Rojiblancos have thumped Getafe 4–1 and lost to City’s cross city rivals Manchester United in Sweden.

They’re still without a glut of senior stars due to post-World Cup breaks, with the start of their La Liga season 10 days out once Sunday’s friendly concludes.

Man City vs. Atlético Madrid Score Prediction

Cityzens Edge Young Atléti

The transition from Pep Guardiola to Enzo Maresca is unlikely to be completely seamless, with City’s new manager not expected to encourage the sort of fluidity we saw from the Cityzens towards the end of Guardiola‘s reign.

Their positional rigidity has been laid bare at the start of preseason, and you do wonder whether Maresca’s game model in possession will have to evolve for City to more reliably break down compact defenses.

They’ll be put to the test by Atléti here, even if the Spanish side struggled defensively last season. Simeone is operating with a plethora of teenagers, but they offered a good account of themselves in Sweden against the Red Devils.

A competitive friendly is expected in Seoul, with the superior quality at Maresca’s disposal likely to be enough.

Prediction: Man City 2–1 Atlético Madrid

Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Atlético Madrid

Thirty players are now with Maresca in South Korea, and 22 took to the field in their 3–1 victory over the K-League All Stars. Among those absent due to their World Cup travails is Erling Haaland, while Rodri underwent back surgery at the end of July and looks to be heading to Barcelona.

Savinho is still with the team despite heavy speculation surrounding his future. He’s featured in both of City’s games on tour, playing the second half of their clash with the All Stars.

Omar Marmoush joined up late after Egypt advanced into the round of 16 at the World Cup. Marmoush, like Savinho and Tijjani Reijnders, has been linked with a move away this summer.

Divin Mubama has been the star of City’s tour so far, scoring in back-to-back games. The youngster could earn a third consecutive start in Haaland’s absence, even with Marmoush available.

Man City predicted lineup vs. Atlético Madrid (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Aït-Nouri; Reijnders, González; Monga, Foden, Semenyo; Mubama.

Atlético Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Man City

Simeone has selected a 27-man roster for the match against Man City, including Korean international Lee Kang-in. The left-footed playmaker has joined the club from Paris Saint-Germain and is set to make his unofficial debut on Sunday.

A healthy dose of academy starlets have traveled to Far East Asia, but there’s also room for senior stars like Koke, Jan Oblak, Pablo Barrios and Ademola Lookman.

Morten Hjulmand, a new arrival from Sporting CP this summer, could partner Koke in Atléti’s midfield, even if Barrios is back in contention.

Julián Alvarez, heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, will report for the start of his presason on Aug. 10.