Manchester City: November 2023 Preview
After struggling in September 2023, October was a much better month for Manchester City. The Sky Blues won four of their five matches, and they have nearly qualified for the 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League knockout stages.
Victories against RB Leipzig and Young Boys in October mean Manchester City sit at the top of their group. Meanwhile, with results against Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United, the Sky Blues have moved up to third in the English Premier League table. What is in store for November?
The Sky Blue will play five matches this month – three in the EPL and two in the Champions League. Manchester City will start the month at home, where they will host Bournemouth on Saturday, 4th November. They are undefeated against the Cherries in the EPL. During their two encounters in the 2022/2023 season, Manchester City won 4-0 at home before defeating Bournemouth 1-4 in the reverse fixture. The Sky Blues will be heavily favored in this fixture.
Manchester City will then shift gears on Tuesday, 7th November, when they will host Young Boys. The English side initially struggled in the reverse match a few weeks ago, failing to break down the Swiss team. After their continued persistence, the Sky Blues finally prevailed, and they edged past their opposition. Should they win this match, the English side will have earned enough points to advance to this year’s knockout stages.
After their Champions League game, Manchester City will travel to London on Sunday, 12th November to face Chelsea. The Sky Blues have a series of mixed results against the Blues. Many will recall City’s recent woes against Chelsea in the spring of 2021. Over the course of two months, Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup Semi-final, eliminating the Sky Blues from the competition. Similarly, Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 in the Champions League Final. The Blues are a way off from their former self, having recently struggled last season, but the encounter between these two sides is always lively.
The Sky Blues will then enter the international break after their match against Chelsea. They will return to EPL action on Saturday, 25th November, to host Liverpool. A recent classic, Manchester City and Liverpool have been battling for the EPL title in recent seasons. This will be City’s most difficult fixture this month, and they will need to ensure that they do everything they can to edge the Reds. Otherwise, they may find themselves falling behind in the EPL title race.
Finally, Manchester City will conclude November with another Champions League fixture. They will host RB Leipzig for Matchday 5 on the 28th. Should the Sky Blues defeat Young Boys on Matchday 4, the match against Leipzig will be a decider on where the English side and German team will finish in the group stage. Should City win this match, they will finish at the top of the group with a game in hand.
In short, the Sky Blues will face five difficult opponents in two different competitions this month. They will have an advantage as four of these five matches will be played at home. After a relatively successful October, Manchester City will hope to continue this success in November. How will the Mancunians fare this month?