Manchester City betting preview: Can Pep Guardiola’s side reassert EPL dominance?
Manchester City is starting the new season in a lot of fresh ways. After Liverpool defeated them last season and stopped Pep Guardiola’s team from winning five straight Premier League titles, they are not entering the current season as the reigning champions. More importantly, they will be without Kevin De Bruyne, who became one of the game’s real greats during his more than ten years in Manchester. City will be without the services of a midfielder who is on par with others who have never kicked a football since he left for Napoli.
After winning the Community Shield against local rivals Manchester United to start the previous season, the team had a terrible run of form and struggled to win games in the early going. In one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s illustrious history, City managed to bounce back to finish in third place, although they lost to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. In the end, City wants to win the league and the Champions League each season, and after winning four straight titles—including a treble-winning season—last season was comparatively awful.
Although it is impossible to draw too many conclusions from the offseason, the manager is unlikely to feel confident after City’s loss at the Club World Cup. The biggest surprise of the competition came when City lost to Al-Hilal after winning their group with three straight wins, including a resounding 5-2 thumping of Juventus. Reading too much into a glorified friendly may be unjust, but it doesn’t exactly portend well for a season in which the Citizens will try to grab the domestic title away from a menacing Liverpool that has been bolstered by new players. To make matters worse, Florian Wirtz turned down City’s approaches in favor of Merseyside, and Arne Slot signed him for a British record transfer fee.
Man City Premier League odds for 2026
According to Betfair, City is 10/3 to win the Premier League trophy in 2026, trailing only Liverpool and Arsenal, who have placed second for the past three years. After their dominance under Guardiola, it seems almost unbelievable that City isn’t the clear favorite to win the championship, and it’s more surprising to see two teams with lower odds. Even without the talisman De Bruyne, it would be silly to dismiss these guys because they have experience in title campaigns. They will undoubtedly aim to outperform the previous season, which was the first without significant hardware since Guardiola’s debut in England.
Unfortunately for City fans, Guardiola thinks Rodri’s injury setback at the Club World Cup may mean his compatriot won’t play again until September. Rodri’s absence was unquestionably a major factor in City’s incredible nine league losses last season. A team hangover from the Club World Cup, Rodri’s fitness, and the possibility of a decision in the seemingly never-ending legal battle all suggest that City may not be at their dominant best for another season.
Arne Slot’s team appears to be luring the greatest names in terms of recruitment, maybe as a result of that case or perhaps because Liverpool appears to be in the lead. Nevertheless, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki are important additions, and their manager will be hoping they settle into the Premier League quickly to prevent another lackluster campaign. For players like Phil Foden and Oscar Bob, this campaign seems vital, and if they can start shooting, things at the Etihad will appear a lot better. Since Rayan Aït-Nouri has been at Wolves for the past few years, he won’t need to become used to the unique demands of English football.
Citizens sixth-favourites in Champions League odds
Despite all of the criticism, Guardiola’s club is still favored by Betfair to finish in the top four at 2/9. This may not come as a surprise, considering that even City’s relative nightmare of a season ended in third place. Given that Guardiola has only won the trophy once since moving to Manchester, they are 9/1 to win the Champions League, which seems like better value and more of a priority. The manager will believe they are far superior to the sixth-best team in Europe, even though they are the sixth-favorite to win that specific prize.
It seems like City is having a really successful season. It appears that a significant change has occurred after years of complete dominance, and Liverpool may be about to enter a dynasty. When presented with new obstacles, Guardiola will seek to defeat these well-known opponents, just as Sir Alex Ferguson repeatedly did throughout his career. Putting aside court cases, it seems likely that Guardiola will not stay in Manchester as long as Ferguson did, and this could be the final significant challenge facing English football.
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