It’s here! The 2017-18 Premier League season is finally upon us! After weeks without the beautiful game, we can finally watch a Pep Guardiola-led Manchester City take on their fierce rivals for the chance of that elusive third Premier League title.
It has been an exciting transfer window and pre-season, with a number of new faces and a few departures. The big names include Kyle Walker from Tottenham Hotspur and Benjamin Mendy from AS Monaco, who will massively improve an area which has cost City so much in the past few seasons. Another high-profile capture has been Bernardo Silva, also from Monaco, who has the ability to play in a number of positions. His versatility will prove useful to Guardiola this coming season.
Key departures include Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta, who have gone to West Ham United, as well as Jesus Navas and Nolito, both going to Sevilla. Youth players such as Aleix Garcia, Pablo Maffeo and new signing Douglas Luiz have been loaned to either Spanish side Girona or Dutch side NAC Breda.
City’s first opponent, Brighton, have had a busy summer. They have signed a number of players from a range of leagues to replenish their squad for the start of the new season. The biggest signing could potentially be Jose Izquierdo from Club Brugge in Belgium for what would be a record fee of £13.5 million. Manager Chris Hughton will have a tough job on his hands to keep a club who will be playing in the Premier League for the first time. Despite this, they will want to make a good impression by putting in a good performance.
Here’s how we expect Pep Guardiola to set out his team for the game.
