Maresca’s Era Begins at Etihad: Manchester City vs Bournemouth
The banners for Pep Guardiola are barely down and already a new chapter is being written at the Etihad. On Sunday afternoon, Enzo Maresca walks out for his first Premier League game in charge of Manchester City, with Bournemouth the visitors and expectation hanging thick in the air.
He follows a giant. Six league titles and a Champions League in ten years have reset what “success” means at this club. The Community Shield defeat to Arsenal was a jolt, an early reminder that transition can sting. This, though, is the one that really counts: the first league game, at home, with a fanbase ready to judge how smoothly the handover from Guardiola truly runs.
Doku Blow Forces Early Rethink
Maresca’s plans have already taken a hit. Jeremy Doku, one of City’s most explosive outlets, will not feature after aggravating a calf problem during that Shield loss. The Belgian is out for two to three weeks, stripping City of their most direct left-sided runner.
Savinho is also unavailable, with a move to Tottenham Hotspur progressing in the background. Omar Marmoush is expected to be in a similar position if his own switch to north London is wrapped up in time, leaving Maresca short of wide options before a ball is even kicked in the league.
One piece of good news: Matheus Nunes is back. The Portuguese international missed the Community Shield with a minor muscle issue but returns to contention and could be asked to fill in at right-back, potentially dislodging Abdukodir Khusanov from the role.
Grealish Back on the Left, Foden Central
With Doku sidelined, the solution feels familiar. Jack Grealish is set to reclaim the left flank, just as he did off the bench at Wembley. His ability to slow the game, draw fouls and keep City camped in the final third offers Maresca a different kind of control.
On the opposite wing, Antoine Semenyo is poised to face his former club. Signed from Bournemouth in January, he brings raw pace and direct running from the right, a contrast to Grealish’s more considered style. Between them, Phil Foden is expected to keep the central role behind Erling Haaland, the position many at City have long believed will one day be his permanent home.
Elliot Anderson, one of the club’s big-money summer arrivals, continues to bed in at the heart of midfield. He is set to partner Mateo Kovačić, forming the double pivot that Maresca hopes will knit together his possession-heavy blueprint with the cutting edge City demand.
Haaland’s August Habit
Up front, nothing changes. Haaland remains the fixed point in a shifting picture.
The numbers are already ominous for Bournemouth: seven goals in his last four Premier League opening weekends, 22 in just 14 career appearances in August. Early-season rust rarely applies to him. While City adjust to a new manager, a new structure and a slightly reshaped squad, they still have the most reliable focal point in the division.
Behind him, Gianluigi Donnarumma continues in goal, a towering presence at the base of a back four likely to feature Nunes on the right, Rúben Dias and Joško Gvardiol in central defence, and Nico O’Reilly on the left. It is a back line that blends experience, physicality and a hint of youth, and Maresca will want it to settle quickly.
Predicted Manchester City XI
Maresca is expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1:
Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Anderson, Kovačić; Semenyo, Foden, Grealish; Haaland.
Plenty is new. The demands are not.
Kick-off and TV Details
The match kicks off at 14:00 BST on Sunday, 23 August 2026 at the Etihad Stadium.
In the UK, it will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
A new manager, a reshaped attack, and the same unforgiving standard: will Maresca’s City look like City from day one, or will Bournemouth be the first to sense uncertainty in the post-Guardiola era?
