Manchester City begin 2026 with a trip to face high flying Sunderland in the Premier League.
The Blues ended the year in fine form, winning eight games in a row in all competitions, but they face a tough
test against Regis le Bris’s side who haven’t lost at home in the Premier League all season.
Here are five things to look out for at the Stadium of Light:
Doku – will he be back in the matchday squad?
Pep Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference that Jeremy Doku could be set to return to the matchday squad after a few weeks out injured.
City’s number 11 picked up a muscle injury after the 2-1 win away to Real Madrid at the beginning of December, with the initial diagnosis including an expected return on New Year’s Day.
He hasn’t been pictured in training since, but Guardiola said it was still a possibility that Doku would return against the Black Cats.
The bench has been sparse in recent weeks with Oscar Bobb, John Stones and Mateo Kovacic injured, with Rodri only recently returning and Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri at the Africa Cup of Nations.
If he’s fit enough, therefore, I expect him to be brought straight back into the squad to fill a place on the bench at least.
A different Sunderland setup from the reverse fixture
At the Etihad Stadium in December, Sunderland sat incredibly deep out of possession in a 5-4-1 formation. They were clearly playing for a point, as they have done successfully against Arsenal and Liverpool so far this season.
But at the Stadium of Light I expect them to be a bit more forward thinking. Like City, they’re impacted by AFCON and won’t be at full strength but their home advantage means they’ll be more inclined to be on the front foot.
They have excellent players in good form, and as well as City have played over the last few months they’ve proven they’re capable enough to cause the Blues problems by going at them.
A bit of rotation before Chelsea
After a decent rest, City have two games in four days as they face Chelsea this Sunday.
Things are up in the air about manager Enzo Maresca’s future, with the former City assistant manager reportedly unhappy with the way Chelsea are run and their transfer strategy.
Nevertheless, Chelsea have good players and have the capabilities to cause huge issues for Guardiola’s team.
The likes of Savinho, Nathan Ake or even Rico Lewis could be in line for a start against Sunderland to rest a few of the more regular first team starters ahead of Sunday’s affair.
Do City adapt in (potential) final game before Semenyo?
The January transfer window has just opened and already it appears that City have completed their first deal.
Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, who has a £65 million release clause, has reportedly rejected approaches from Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in order to seal a move to City, who are expecting to wrap the deal up shortly.
In recent weeks, City’s wingers have tucked in extremely narrow, to allow the likes of Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki to get into the pockets that they thrive in.
Semenyo is more of a wide forward, though he could operate centrally if needed. It’ll be interesting to see if City utilise an approach with wider forwards now Semenyo looks to be heading through the door, or whether the Ghanaian forward will be perhaps forced into a position he has less experience in.
Finally… the return of Rodri?
At long last, City have Rodri back in the squad.
He has spent the majority of the last 15 months injured, recovering for a short period of time at the beginning of the season before suffering a hamstring injury in October that ruled him out for nearly three months.
But Guardiola has said many times that a large period of that time on the sidelines was precautionary; they want to make sure that there will be no re-occurrences of the 2024 Ballon D’or winner’s muscular problems.
He’ll need to be phased back in gently in order to preserve his fitness whilst building up match sharpness, and Nico Gonzalez is doing a very good job in his absence so there’ll be no rush.
At his best Rodri is the best in the world in his position though, so getting him back to his best will be invaluable for City in the second half of the season.
