Manchester City had a poor season by their standards, finishing third, but will it be business as usual in 2025/26 following a team rebuild?
Our FPL team preview looks at their top-scoring players, key <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a>, opening fixtures, predicted lineup, set-piece takers and more.
View our top three City FPL players for Gameweek 1 &#8211; and all of our pre-season content &#8211; in our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips">Ultimate Guide to FPL</a>.
<h3>🤖 Hub AI quick summary 🤖</h3>
Simplicity and speed are among Fantasy Football Hub&#8217;s core values, so many of our articles this season will come with a quick &#8216;Hub AI&#8217; summary for those who want the answer &#8211; fast.
Read the full article for the detailed picture &#8211; and listen to an audio summary 👇
<ul>
<li>📉City&#8217;s underlying <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a> were well below previous seasons</li>
<li>🤷‍♂️Erling Haaland top scored but failed to justify his record £15.0m price tag</li>
<li>🤔FPL picks offer high risk, high reward given the expectation of rotation</li>
</ul>
<audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-73225-1" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/City-preview.mp3?_=1" /><a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/City-preview.mp3">https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/City-preview.mp3</a></audio>

<a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/join?via=2025content">Win your FPL mini-league or your money back! </a>
 
<h2>Top-scoring Manchester City FPL picks</h2>
<h3>🥇Erling Haaland &#8211; 181 points</h3>
Haaland scored 22 goals, the third highest total in the league behind Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah.
He got off to an electric start, scoring 10 in City&#8217;s first five games, but patchy form and injury limited his returns over the course of the season.
The Norwegian sat out Gameweek 30-35 but returned for the final three matches. He scored just once in that time.
Despite this, no other City player came close to matching his FPL points total, even though it was not one that warranted a record £15.0m starting price.
<div id="attachment_73929" style="width: 850px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73929" class="size-full wp-image-73929" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-Haaland-bordered.jpeg" alt="Erling Haaland Stats" width="840" height="690" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-Haaland-bordered.jpeg 840w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-Haaland-bordered-300x246.jpeg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/playerstats-Haaland-bordered-768x631.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" />Erling Haaland&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></div>
&nbsp;
<h3>🥈Josko Gvardiol &#8211; 153 points</h3>
Gvardiol was the game&#8217;s top-scoring defender, racking up the joint-best tally of five goals.
The Croatian typically offered the most attacking threat when playing at left-back, however for much of last season he was positioned as a centre-back. This could be repeated following the signing of Rayan Ait-Nouri.
He still managed the joint-most shots in the box among defenders (34) and the most big chances (10).
Rotation is always a concern with City players but Gvardiol made 37 appearances, with just one coming via the bench.
<div id="attachment_73459" style="width: 850px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73459" class="size-full wp-image-73459" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/playerstats-Gvardiol-bordered.jpeg" alt="Gvardiol Stats" width="840" height="690" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/playerstats-Gvardiol-bordered.jpeg 840w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/playerstats-Gvardiol-bordered-300x246.jpeg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/playerstats-Gvardiol-bordered-768x631.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" />Josko Gvardiol&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></div>
&nbsp;
<h3>🥉Kevin De Bruyne &#8211; 114 points</h3>
De Bruyne made 28 appearances in his final season for the club, including nine from off the bench.
He scored four and assisted nine, creating more big chances than any of his teammates (15).
His FPL points total would not have made City&#8217;s top three in either of the previous two seasons but there was a lack of standout performances.
<h2>Manchester City FPL stats: Season-on-season decline</h2>
City remained a top-four team in most metrics but there was a clear decline in performance across the board.
Pep Guardiola&#8217;s team scored the second most goals in the league (72) but fell well short of their previous two seasons&#8217; totals of 96 and 94.
Their goalscoring was more in line with their expected goals (xG) but this was also much lower.
There were also problems at the back, conceding more goals (44) and ranking seventh for expected goals conceded (xGC).
As is often the case for the Cityzens, they finished the season well. They kept six clean sheets in their last nine, more than any other team, and recorded the second best xGC.
But the rest of the campaign saw them rank 10th for xGC, dragging down their season-long total.
In 2022/23 and 2023/24, City were either first or second in all of these key Opta <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a> categories. Will 2024/25 go down in history as a blip or will they struggle to reach the highs of recent campaigns again?
<h3>Stats summary</h3>
⚽ Goals: 72 (second)
📈 Expected goals (xG): 70.14 (second)
🤦‍♂️ Goals conceded: 44 (T-4th)
📊 Expected goals conceded (xGC): 47.4 (seventh)
🧤 Clean sheets: 13 (fifth)
⭐ FPL points: 1,802 (fourth)
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta">Full Opta stats for all clubs</a></li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_32539" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32539" class="size-full wp-image-32539" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/fpl-pep.jpg" alt="gameweek 38 best fantasy football tips" width="1024" height="726" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/fpl-pep.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/fpl-pep-300x213.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/fpl-pep-768x545.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/fpl-pep-610x432.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/fpl-pep-400x284.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Pep Guardiola. Picture by Getty Images</div>
<h2>First six fixtures: Buy or avoid Manchester City picks in FPL?</h2>
Hub <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker">fixture ticker</a> rank: Ninth
City only rank around midtable for their opening fixtures but are ahead of Liverpool and Arsenal, whose players will also be high in FPL managers&#8217; thinking.
Arsenal (A) in Gameweek 5 stands out as the most challenging and Mohamed Salah will be a more appealing captain than Haaland then, with Liverpool facing Everton (H).
Spurs, Manchester United and Burnley at home are all potential Haaland captaincy opportunities though.
With a number of new signings increasing competition in the attacking areas, rotation is once again expected to be a problem. A period of monitoring may be required to see how the new faces are integrated into the starting 11.
<div id="attachment_73231" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73231" class="size-full wp-image-73231" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Haaland-pre-season.jpg" alt="Erling Haaland. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Haaland-pre-season.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Haaland-pre-season-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Haaland-pre-season-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Erling Haaland. Picture by Getty Images</div>
<h2>Manchester City predicted lineup for FPL Gameweek 1</h2>
For our final predicted lineups, see our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/premier-league-predicted-lineups">team news article</a> ahead of the deadline.
But below, we take a look at our City predicted starting 11 as things stand.
As ever with City, there are very few certainties and picking their players is very much a high risk, high reward strategy.
Haaland is one of few that can be relied upon for regular starts, while Josko Gvardiol is usually a reliable defensive pick &#8211; but the Croatian&#8217;s fitness is uncertain heading into Gameweek 1.
<div id="attachment_73934" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73934" class="size-large wp-image-73934" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/City-lineup-1024x422.jpg" alt="Manchester City predicted lineup" width="1024" height="422" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/City-lineup-1024x422.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/City-lineup-300x124.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/City-lineup-768x317.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/City-lineup-1536x634.jpg 1536w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/City-lineup-2048x845.jpg 2048w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/City-lineup-1080x446.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Manchester City predicted lineup</div>
&nbsp;
Ederson is among the players linked with an exit, which would pave the way for James Trafford to become a very appealing option at £5.0m after he joined from Burnley.
Ait-Nouri could see Gvardiol shifted to centre-back on a more permanent basis, although tactical tweaks could see Gvardiol on the left and the Algerian dropping to the bench.
Matheus Nunes was used more as a right-back last season and will compete with Rico Lewis for game time.
Ruben Dias is likely to partner Gvardiol but Guardiola has numerous options including Manuel Akanji, John Stones and Abdukodir Khusanov &#8211; who could also slot in on the right occasionally.
Into midfield and the absence of Rodri until the September international break is a blow. Nico Gonzalez is far from guaranteed games in his absence, with Ilkay Gundogan and Tijjani Reijnders able to drop deeper.
Rayan Cherki is another newcomer who would be of potential FPL interest if he was more nailed to start.
But with Omar Marmoush, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and Savinho &#8211; providing he doesn&#8217;t join Spurs as rumoured &#8211; battling for spots, it&#8217;s difficult to pinpoint an attacker outside Haaland to be confident in for a string of games.
Marmoush could be a factor at some point though, having been reclassified as a midfielder in FPL.
Tactical approach game to game will influence Guardiola&#8217;s selections.
<div id="attachment_73175" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73175" class="size-full wp-image-73175" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/James-Trafford.jpg" alt="James Trafford. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/James-Trafford.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/James-Trafford-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/James-Trafford-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />James Trafford. Picture by Getty Images                        </div>
<h2>Manchester City set-piece takers</h2>
The Hub keeps a track on all set-piece takers on our dedicated <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/premier-league-set-piece-takers">set-piece page</a>.
De Bruyne&#8217;s departure leaves a gap, particularly in relation to corners and free-kicks.
Haaland took all of City&#8217;s four penalties last season, scoring three, but Marmoush stepped up in the FA Cup final. He failed to score but there is always a chance a surprise taker steps up, with Guardiola explaining that the players make the decision on the pitch at the time.
A summary of City&#8217;s likely set-piece takers is below.
Penalties: Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush
Direct free-kicks: Omar Marmoush
Corners: Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Omar Marmoush
Aerial threats: Erling Haaland, Josko Gvardiol
&nbsp;
<h3>Follow the Hub</h3>
🐤<a href="https://twitter.com/FFH_HQ">Twitter</a> 
📱<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ffootballhub/">Facebook</a> 
💻<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/FantasyFootballHub/?sub_confirmation=1">YouTube</a> 
🤳<a href="https://www.instagram.com/FFH_HQ/">Instagram</a> 
⏰<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@FFH_HQ">Tiktok </a>
And view all our latest fantasy football tips on our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/" aria-label="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/">homepage</a>

Manchester City FPL team preview 2025/26

Win at FPL

Community & tools