Manchester City are preparing for their second friendly of their Asian tour as they come up against Bayern Munich. As the lead-up to the game continues, there will be several stories to watch for during the match.
Will Kyle Walker and Benjamin Pavard feature?
A story to watch for is if Walker and Pavard will play for City and Bayern. Both players have been linked with moves to opposing clubs, with a possible swap deal being reported by Christian Falk in his CaughtOffside column.
Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Germany has reported that City’s England international won’t feature for the treble winners. He adds the clubs are due to meet to negotiate a possible sale of Walker to the German powerhouse.
Pavard has been linked with a move to City as a possible replacement for Walker. Whether or not he features for the German side may be a sign of a potential move to Pep Guardiola’s side.
Which City youngster will impress?
With Oscar Bobb impressing in City’s 5-3 win over Yokohama F.Marinos, will another young player seize their opportunity with the first team?
James McAtee and Cole Palmer both started against the J-League side and showed flashes of their talent. This game will present another chance for both to stake their claims for a first-team spot.
City has rejected recent bids for McAtee as reported by Ciaran Wiseman and Martin Blackburn of the Sun. An impressive showing here may solidify McAtee’s claim for more first-team opportunities.
Bobb showed plenty in his second-half appearance against Kevin Muscat’s men. He will have the opportunity to build on an impressive first showing with the first team against Bayern. The young Norwegian wasn’t impressed with his performance in the tour opener, but he showed the talent he has to seize a first-team spot. Another good showing here will give him the platform to stake his claim for a first-team place next season.
Can Erling Haaland show more improvement?
City’s Norwegian goal-scoring machine has hit the ground running this pre-season. He bagged a brace in the 5-3 win and looks set for another big season after last season’s record-breaking heroics.
.@ErlingHaaland rounding off our pre-season opening match! 👌 pic.twitter.com/sSUf63xFvY
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 23, 2023
Pep Guardiola issued a warning to City’s rivals that Haaland has improved from last season, another big performance here will have the champion’s rivals dreading the sight of the City striker next season.
The star striker looks ready to take his game to another level, another strong performance here will hold him in good stead for the treble defense this upcoming season.
Summary
With plenty of storylines to watch for as the champions take on the German giants, a tantalising pre-season clash awaits. As Guardiola’s men build for the Community Shield against Arsenal, the clash should give some more clues as to how the champions are shaping up ahead of another big season.
