What Can Be Man City's Playing XI in 2025-26 Season?

Manchester City will be looking for redemption after a disappointing campaign at the highly anticipated Club World Cup this summer. Manager Pep Guardiola experienced his first trophy-less season since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium, leading to a swift reaction in the transfer market. He realizes that he will need additional reinforcements if his team hopes to challenge Liverpool for the title.

The Cityzens have already signed French playmaker Rayan Cherki and Algerian wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, and they have now unveiled Tijjani Reijnders as their latest addition for a feature in Man city's probable XI. The Dutch midfielder has joined Manchester City from AC Milan for a reported fee of €55 million after an impressive season in Italy. Despite Milan's disappointing eighth-place finish in Serie A, the 26-year-old had a remarkable campaign, scoring ten goals and providing five assists.

All new signings have chosen their jersey numbers, with Manchester City confirming that Reijnders will wear the iconic number four, previously held by Vincent Kompany. More importantly, all three newcomers are eligible to play for the dethroned Premier League champions in the summer tournament, as Guardiola has named his squad for the trip to the United States.

Man City in 2025 Summer Transfer Window

Pep Guardiola has taken the disappointment of a third-place finish in the Premier League, an early exit from the Champions League, and a loss in the FA Cup final very personally. Manchester City has acted quickly this summer, investing €137 million to strengthen their probable XI ahead of the Club World Cup. The club’s top priority is to find a replacement for the departing Kevin De Bruyne in the No. 10 role. While City was pursuing Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz, both Liverpool and Bayern Munich have surged ahead as the favorites to sign the talented playmaker.
Additionally, the club will also need more options in defence after having problems at full-back on either flank, while a new midfielder will be required as they seek long-term replacements for Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic.

How Man City Can Line Up in 2025-26 season?

The inconsistency in the 2024/25 season for Guardiola to change formations. The constant rotations only excaberated the issue as the Spaniard seemed unable to find the right formula despite the Cityzens’ decent league form towards the end of the season. Guardiola’s desperate attempt to secure victory against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final resulted in City adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation, though they did so without a classic defensive midfielder.
However, when using the same setup with Mateo Kovacic or Ilkay Gundogan in the lineup, the team yielded better results in the final two matches of the Premier League, winning both against Bournemouth and Fulham by two-goal margins. It is likely that the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager will maintain a similar formation in the upcoming tournament, though the players may differ.

Man City's probable XI will include Ederson in goal, with Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias likely to be the starting centre-back pairing. Ait-Nouri’s arrival should allow the Croatian star to return to the heart of Man City’s defence, while Manuel Akanji may move to the right.
Reijnders typically play close to the opposition’s goal, but he could be Kovacic’s partner in front of the backline. Cherki is versatile and hence he’s comfortable playing anywhere alongside the frontline, but Guardiola may place him as a right-winger due to Savinho’s underwhelming performances throughout the season.

With Grealish out of the team, Belgian star Jeremy Doku is the front-runner to play on the left, although he will need to beat Phil Foden to the starting berth. Marmoush should operate as a second striker behind Erling Braut Haaland.

Man City Probable XI for 2025-26 Season

Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Kovacic, Reijnders; Cherki, Marmoush, Doku; Haaland