Maresca’s New Era at Manchester City Begins Against Bournemouth
Enzo Maresca walks into the Premier League on Sunday with the smallest of fixtures on paper and the biggest of shadows over his shoulder. Manchester City against Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium is routine. Replacing Pep Guardiola after a decade of dominance is anything but.
Six league titles. A Champions League. An identity that reshaped English football. That’s the weight Maresca inherits as he takes charge of his first competitive league game, with the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal already a bruise on the new regime. Sunday offers his first real chance to show this is evolution, not decline.
Team News: Doku Out, Grealish In
The new manager’s first home team sheet comes with complications.
Jeremy Doku is out. The Belgian winger aggravated a calf problem in that Community Shield loss and will miss the next two to three weeks. His absence strips City of their most direct wide threat on the left and forces an early reshuffle.
Savinho will not be involved either, with his move to Tottenham Hotspur progressing. Omar Marmoush is expected to follow the same path out of contention if his own switch to north London is finalised in time. Maresca’s attacking options are being trimmed before a ball is kicked in the league.
One boost arrives in defence. Matheus Nunes is back in contention after a minor muscle issue kept him out at Wembley. The Portuguese international could be asked to fill in at right-back, potentially displacing Abdukodir Khusanov and underlining Maresca’s willingness to bend roles to fit his structure.
With Doku sidelined, the solution on the left feels obvious. Jack Grealish is set to start there, just as he did when introduced in the Community Shield. On the opposite flank, Antoine Semenyo – signed from Bournemouth in January – is expected to face his former club, adding a neat edge to the occasion.
Phil Foden stays central, operating behind Erling Haaland as the creative heartbeat in the No 10 role. Behind them, Elliot Anderson, a marquee summer arrival, continues alongside Mateo Kovačić in midfield. Anderson is one of the key pieces City want to bed in quickly, and Maresca is wasting no time making him central to the plan.
Haaland’s August Habit
For all the tactical tweaks and new faces, one constant remains: Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian’s record at this stage of the season is absurd. Seven goals in his last four Premier League opening weekends. Twenty-two goals in 14 career appearances in August. While City adjust to a new manager, they still possess the most ruthless finisher in the division to steady any early turbulence.
Behind him, Gianluigi Donnarumma keeps his place in goal, anchoring a back four that is likely to feature Nunes on the right, Rúben Dias and Joško Gvardiol in the centre, and Nico O’Reilly on the left. It is a defensive line that mixes established authority with emerging talent, a snapshot of the transition Maresca must manage.
Predicted Manchester City XI
Maresca is expected to set City up in a 4-2-3-1, with clear roles and familiar names wrapped in a new philosophy:
Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Anderson, Kovačić; Semenyo, Foden, Grealish; Haaland.
It is a side strong enough to dominate Bournemouth, but this opener is about more than three points. It is about tone, control, and whether the champions can look like themselves under a new voice.
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.
Guardiola’s era set a bar that feels almost impossible to match. Maresca’s first real answer comes on Sunday afternoon, under the blue glare of the Etihad, with a fanbase ready to decide whether this is the start of another dynasty or the beginning of a very different story.
