City return to Premier League action against Sunderland on Sunday, looking to maintain their perfect start to the season and a run of four successive clean sheets.
Enzo Maresca’s side have won all four league games and followed last weekend’s Manchester derby victory with a 5-0 Carabao Cup win over Norwich on Thursday.
Sunderland have made a decent start themselves and arrive at the Etihad having beaten AZ Alkmaar in Europe in midweek. Here are seven numbers worth knowing before City and Sunderland meet.
1 – City have 12 points from 12
Four Premier League games, four wins.
City have beaten Bournemouth 2-1, Crystal Palace 4-1, Coventry City 1-0 and Manchester United 1-0, scoring eight and conceding only twice.
It leaves Maresca’s side level on 12 points with Arsenal, who have the better goal difference.
2 – Four successive clean sheets
Nobody has scored against City since the victory at Crystal Palace.
Coventry, Porto, Manchester United and Norwich have subsequently been beaten 1-0, 2-0, 1-0 and 5-0 respectively.
That’s 360 minutes without conceding, with four different competitions represented across the sequence.
3 – Six straight wins
City’s only setback this season came against Arsenal in the Community Shield.
Since then they have beaten Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Coventry, Porto, Manchester United and Norwich, scoring 15 goals and conceding just twice.
The last four of those victories have come without conceding.
4 – Sunderland have seven points from four games
Anyone expecting the visitors to arrive at the Etihad simply hoping to keep the score down should probably think again.
Sunderland have beaten Ipswich 2-1 and Fulham 1-0, drawn 1-1 at Brentford and lost 2-0 to Arsenal.
Seven points from four represents a perfectly respectable start for Regis Le Bris’ side.
5 – Three clean sheets in Sunderland’s last four games
City are not the only side arriving with some decent defensive numbers.
Sunderland have beaten Fulham, Hull City and AZ Alkmaar 1-0 during their last five matches, with the other results a 1-1 draw at Brentford and a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal.
That means four of their last five games have contained two goals or fewer.
6 – City couldn’t score against them last time
Probably the most useful warning among these seven.
City beat Sunderland 3-0 at the Etihad last December, with Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Phil Foden scoring. When the sides met again at the Stadium of Light on New Year’s Day, it was a very different story.
City had the majority of possession and pushed for a winner but Sunderland held firm for a 0-0 draw, ending what had been an eight-match City winning run in all competitions.
Maresca therefore has fairly recent evidence of just how awkward Le Bris’ side can be.
7 – Seven goals conceded between them
Perhaps the number which best sets up Sunday afternoon.
City have conceded only twice in four Premier League matches, while Sunderland have conceded five. Between them, that’s seven goals conceded across eight league games.
Both also come into the game following midweek clean sheets – City against Norwich and Sunderland against AZ Alkmaar.
The numbers point towards two sides who have been difficult to break down, although City managed it three times when Sunderland visited the Etihad last season.
There should be no shortage of confidence after City’s start, particularly after four wins and four clean sheets during a demanding September.
Sunderland’s numbers suggest Sunday may require a little patience.
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