Palermo and Manchester City face off in the Anglo-Palermitan Trophy on Saturday evening, marking an encounter between two clubs united by the City Football Group family.
The Sicilian side welcomes their sister-club to the Renzo Barbera Stadium for this special friendly that commemorates Palermo’s English origins, with both teams looking to fine-tune preparations ahead of their respective competitive seasons.
Palermo vs Manchester City – Match preview and team news
Team News
Palermo
Filippo Inzaghi will make his debut as Palermo manager in this prestigious fixture, having joined the club in June following his successful promotion campaign with Pisa. Inzaghi faces a significant test against one of Europe’s elite teams as he begins his mission to guide Palermo back to Serie A.
The Rosanero have enjoyed a strong pre-season, winning all five friendly matches while scoring 22 goals. New signings, including Mattia Bani from Genoa and Tommaso Augello, are expected to feature as Inzaghi assesses his squad depth.
Manchester City
Ahead of the 2025/26 season, Pep Guardiola’s team will utilise this as their only public pre-season friendly. City have experienced major squad changes as six new signings have joined, including Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, and James Trafford.
But as Rodri struggles with a possible fitness problem following his setback in the Club World Cup and John Stones and Mateo Kovacic remain under evaluation, injury worries continue. With both players investigating exits from the club, Jack Grealish and James McAtee have not travelled.
Form
Palermo: WWWWW
Inzaghi’s new team arrives in excellent form, having won their last five pre-season matches convincingly. The Serie B side finished eighth last season, narrowly missing the playoffs, but have shown attacking intent throughout their summer preparations with an average of 4.4 goals per match.
Manchester City: WWWWL
City endured a disappointing 2024/25 campaign, finishing third in the Premier League without a major trophy. Their last competitive action saw them eliminated by Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup Round of 16, though they’ll be eager to bounce back with new signings providing fresh impetus.
Last Meeting
This marks the first-ever meeting between the clubs, despite both being part of the City Football Group family since Palermo’s acquisition in 2022.
Predicted Lineups
Palermo: Gomis; Pierozzi, Ceccaroni, Peda, Augello; Segre, Vasic, Ranocchia; Pohjanpalo, Brunori, Di Francesco.
Manchester City: Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Akanji, Ait-Nouri; Reijnders, Gundogan; Savinho, Cherki, Foden; Haaland.
How to watch Palermo vs Manchester City?
UK fans can watch the game live on CITY+ and OneFootball. Italian viewers have access via DAZN, Sky Sport Calcio, and OneFootball.
What time is kick-off?
8:00 pm BST / 9:00 pm local time.
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