Premier League Club-By-Club predictions: Can Manchester City bounce back from a poor 2024-25 season? Or is the focus on the future?

After winning four straight Premier League titles from 2020-21 to 2023-24, Manchester City lost control of their throne in the 2024-25 season, with injuries and poor performances costing them valuable points. Can the Citizens get it back, or will they look to prioritise Champions League positioning?

(Image Credit to Tom Barton/Manchester City FC)

Stay humble, eh? 

Those were the three words that plagued Manchester City throughout much of last season. While Manchester City did regain some positioning in the Premier League table, they ultimately could not defend their Premier League title. 

And with the club starting to bring their younger stars off the training wheels, 2025-26 could go a long way in deciding Manchester City’s long-term place in the Premier League table.

What Noah says:

The chase could get a little tough once again, particularly earlier on in the campaign. As the Citizens are competing in the summer Club World Cup, going deep in the tournament could entail a sluggish start to the new season, especially if key players require extended rest or injury recovery. Their first eleven games are not a cakewalk either, with five of them coming against Manchester United, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Liverpool, and Arsenal. And with three of those games coming in the Citizens’ first five Premier League affairs, one would not be foolish to think points could be dropped in at least one of those three games. 

Outside of an November 22nd encounter with Newcastle, Manchester City won’t have to worry about playing top-six opposition until 2026, which they kick off with a home encounter with Chelsea. That is followed up with four games against Newcastle, Tottenham, Manchester United, and Liverpool in a stretch of eight games leading up to the beginning of March, which kicks off Manchester City’s final ten games. Those games include five against European opposition.

Manchester City should once again be favoured to win the Premier League title, but there are plenty of opportunities to slip up. And with Liverpool enjoying a strong summer transfer window, bringing in Jeremie Frimpong to reinforce the Reds’ right side while strengthening the attack by adding Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, Manchester City cannot afford to slip up early on. Even then, potentially losing Rodri until mid-September could hurt their chances of a strong start. 

While the club’s youth-centred movement, seen through the return of goalkeeper James Trafford and the arrival of defender Rayan Aït-Nouri, should provide some new energy, I think Manchester City will struggle off the line and ultimately fall short to Liverpool and Arsenal in the title fight. 

Projected finish: 3rd

What Ellie says:

Pep Guardiola has his work cut out for him going into 25/26. Losing Kevin De Bruyne to Napoli over the summer will leave a massive gap in the Manchester City squad. With a fairly easy start to the season, City will be looking good into the new year, prepared to play the other big 6 clubs.

Having heavyweights like Haaland on their side will help City in their fight for the league, but it will cause problems within the team. Out of the two Manchester sides, City will come out on top after United struggles to bounce back from the forgettable 24/25 season. 

If City can stay away from any financial repercussions from their previous woes, they have a good chance to keep the title fight alive into the final game weeks, but they will ultimately fall short at the final hurdle. 

Projected finish: 3rd

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Article written by Noah Guttman and Ellie Swain