Manchester City will attempt to make it seven Premier League wins from seven when Ipswich Town visit the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The hosts are chasing a place in history, while Ipswich arrive with confidence after a strong start to the campaign.
The Round 7 fixture is set for Saturday, October 17, 2026, with kick off at 3pm BST at the Etihad Stadium. Farai Hallam will referee.
Where to watch
The match is not being shown live on television in the UK because of the Saturday 3pm blackout rules. Highlights will be available on Match of the Day on Saturday night, while global broadcast details can be found at premierleague.com.
City go into the game looking to become only the third team to win their first seven matches of a Premier League season. Chelsea achieved it in 2005-06 and Liverpool matched the feat in 2019-20, with both clubs going on to lift the title.
Before returning to league action, City must recover from a frustrating night. PSG raced into a 3-0 lead inside the opening half hour at the Etihad on Wednesday, with Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha all scoring. City dominated after the break, recording 27 shots and 52 touches in the PSG box across the match, while Erling Haaland scored twice. Maghnes Akliouche’s looping effort, which looked to have been brilliantly saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, crept in, and Ferran Torres missed a late penalty as PSG held on for a 4-2 win.
That defeat ended Maresca’s run of eight wins in all competitions, but the domestic picture remains bright. City sit top of the Premier League, three points clear of champions Arsenal, after a statement 3-0 victory at Anfield last weekend. Saturday’s match will also be City’s first Premier League home game since they were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges, and the Etihad is expected to make plenty of noise.
Ipswich arrive in good spirits after a surprisingly strong start on their return to the top flight. Gary O’Neil’s side have won three of their first six games, a tally that took them 19 matches to reach two seasons ago, and they sit 10th, six points above the relegation zone. Wins over Sunderland and Crystal Palace were followed by a dramatic comeback against Fulham last weekend, when they trailed with two minutes of normal time remaining. Abdoul Ouattara equalised before captain Dara O’Shea headed in a winner in the 92nd minute.
Defence remains an issue, though. Ipswich have conceded 12 goals in six league games, the joint second highest total in the division, and they have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 25 Premier League matches.
City supporters will have fond memories of this fixture. The last meeting, in January 2025, ended in a 6-0 City win at Portman Road.
Maresca has a clean bill of health, and Phil Foden is available for Premier League selection again after serving a ban of three matches for the red card he received in the Manchester derby.
Several players made a strong case for a start after coming on at half time against PSG. Matheus Nunes looks the most likely to be recalled at right back, ahead of Abdukodir Khusanov. Ayyoub Bouaddi is also pushing for a start in midfield after an impressive cameo that earned praise from Haaland, and Iliman Ndiaye is challenging Jérémy Doku and Antoine Semenyo for a place on the flanks.
Haaland has scored 10 goals in just nine appearances in all competitions this season and will lead the line again. He also scored four times in two games against Ipswich during the 2024-25 season.
Ipswich have no injury problems of their own. Abdul Fatawu is available again after serving a suspension of one match and is pushing for a recall on the right, which could put Daizen Maeda or Jaden Philogene at risk of dropping out.
Exequiel Palacios could come into midfield in place of Florentino LuÃs, while Christian Walton is set to keep his place in goal ahead of summer signing Kjell Scherpen. Gary O’Neil may consider switching to a back five for the first time this season.
Expected lineups
Manchester City: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guéhi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Fernández; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland.
Ipswich: Walton; Ouattara, O’Shea, Diop, Davis; Palacios, Lukić; Fatawu, Enciso, Clarke; Emersonn.
City have been galvanised by being found guilty of over 100 financial breaches, and their performances since have indicated a ‘us against the world’ spirit. Ipswich could be in for a long afternoon.
