Manchester City vs Atletico Madrid prediction 09.08.2026 | Friendly match

After four consecutive Premier League titles, Manchester City finished second and third in the previous two seasons. The Citizens remain one of the best English and European teams, but this summer, the club left legendary Pep Guardiola after a ten-year tenure, and it remains to be seen how his departure will affect the team. His successor, Enzo Maresca, faces the daunting task of filling the shoes of the greatest managers in the club's history.

Manchester City had two friendly matches this summer. First, they lost on penalties against Inter Milan. A few days later, Maresca's team won 3-1 against K-League Stars. The upcoming friendly with Atletico Madrid will be Manchester City's last test before they meet Arsenal in the FA Community Shield next week. 

Manchester City offloaded a few valuable players from the previous years. The team left Nathan Ake, John Stones and Bernardo Silva. Also, young goalkeeper James Trafford went to Leeds. On the other hand, without doubt the biggest signing of the summer is Elliot Anderson, who came from Nottingham Forest for 135 million euros. An interesting addition is Jeremy Monga from Leicester, as well, but he is only 17 years old, and we shouldn't expect too much from him in the next couple of seasons. 

Atletico Madrid are heading into another season with their hopes of winning La Liga. Still, it is clear that Real Madrid and Barcelona are stronger, and it would be a huge surprise if Diego Simeone's team found a way to sneak past the two best Spanish teams. Atletico Madrid have big ambitions in the Champions League, where they reached the semifinals last season. 

Like Manchester City, Atletico Madrid also had only two friendly matches this summer. In the first game, Simeone's team won 4-1 against Getafe. The great performance was followed by a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United. After Atletico Madrid meet with the Citizens on Sunday in Seoul, they will head to Marseille, where they will have their final test before the season starts. 

Veteran Antoine Griezmann left Atletico Madrid this summer. He had 79 goals and 49 assists in five seasons for Diego Simeone's team and will remain one of the team's legends. Atletico also left Clement Lenglet. On the other hand, Kang-in Lee (PSG), Morten Hjulmand (Sporting CP), and Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen) joined Atletico Madrid.