Fresh start, familiar foe
The Premier League returns to the Etihad today, and not a moment too soon. City open their 2026-27 campaign against Bournemouth, a fixture that offers the chance to scrub the taste of last weekend's Wembley defeat from the palate.
The 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield was a sobering way to begin the season. Maresca's side were second best for long stretches, and the scoreline flattered nobody in sky blue. Yet the beauty of a new league campaign is that it resets the ledger.
Bournemouth, though, are no pushovers. They finished sixth last season — a genuinely impressive return that underlines the progress made on the south coast. This is not the Bournemouth of old, arriving at the Etihad simply to make up the numbers. They will come to play, and City will need to be sharp.
They are a quality team as they showed last season when they finished sixth.
For the FA Cup and Carabao Cup holders, this is about more than three points. A win today would lift the mood around the club, quieting the murmurs that followed the Arsenal reverse and setting a positive tone for the months ahead.
It is early, of course. One game does not define a season, and the Community Shield, for all its silver polish, remains a glorified friendly. But there is something about the first league fixture of a new campaign that sharpens the focus. City will want to start as they mean to go on.
The stage is set. The Etihad awaits. Three points would do nicely.