Match overview and team formations
Manchester City are set to play Atletico Madrid in a club friendly, with the match scheduled for 9 August 2026 at 12:00. The encounter marks the conclusion of Manchester City‘s pre-season tour. Enzo Maresca, manager for Manchester City, has opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation. His starting lineup includes Donnarumma, Nunes, Reis, Dias (C), Gvardiol, Reijnders, Kovacic, Savinho, Foden, Semenyo, and Marmoush. Key players such as Ruben Dias will captain the side.
For Atletico Madrid, managed by Diego Simeone, the team will line up in a 4-4-2 formation. Their starting XI features Oblak, Dominguez, Martinez, Le Normand, Hancko, Koke (C), Mendoza, Vargas, Hjulmand, Martin, and Lookman. Koke will serve as captain for Atletico Madrid. Match officials include referee Jong-Hyeok Kim, with Tae-Hyung Kim and Hwa-Pyung Lee as assistant referees, and Cheol-Jun Choi as the fourth official.
Recent form and head-to-head record
Manchester City‘s recent form across five matches shows two wins, one draw, and two losses. Their most recent result was a 3-1 victory against K-League All Stars on 5 August. Prior to that, they had a 1-1 draw with Inter, which resulted in a loss on penalties on 1 August. Other results include a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup, a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth in the Premier League, and a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on the final day of the league season. Across these five matches, City scored five goals and conceded five.
Atletico Madrid also have a record of two wins, one draw, and two losses in their last five matches. Their most recent game was a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in a pre-season friendly on 1 August. Before this, they secured a 4-1 win against Getafe in pre-season, experienced a 5-1 loss to Villarreal on the final day of LaLiga, and recorded wins against Girona (1-0) and Osasuna (2-1). In these five matches, Atletico scored nine goals and conceded eight.
The two clubs have met three times previously. The most recent encounter was a pre-season friendly on 30 July 2023, where Atletico Madrid secured a 2-1 victory over Manchester City. Before that, they faced each other twice in the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Manchester City won the first leg 1-0, and the second leg ended in a 0-0 draw, allowing City to advance on aggregate. Over these three meetings, both clubs have one win each, and there has been one draw.
Match statistics and tactical insights
In terms of match statistics, Manchester City maintained 57.2% overall possession compared to Atletico Madrid‘s 42.8%. City registered 11 shots, with five on target, while Atletico Madrid had five shots, with two on target. Manchester City‘s goalkeeper made one save, whereas Atletico Madrid‘s goalkeeper made three saves. City committed four fouls, and Atletico Madrid committed nine fouls. Corner kicks were two for Manchester City and four for Atletico Madrid.
Further attacking statistics show Manchester City had three shots off target and were caught offside twice. Atletico Madrid had one shot off target and were also caught offside twice. In distribution, Manchester City completed 381 total passes with a 93.4% pass accuracy. Atletico Madrid completed 281 total passes with an 86.1% pass accuracy. Defensively, Manchester City made 12 total tackles with a 66.7% tackle win percentage, while Atletico Madrid made 14 total tackles with a 57.1% tackle win percentage. Both teams had zero yellow cards, and Manchester City made 12 clearances compared to Atletico Madrid‘s 13 clearances.
Enzo Maresca‘s tactical setup for Manchester City features Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, protected by a back four of Matheus Nunes, Vitor Reis, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol. The midfield will be anchored by Tijjani Reijnders and Mateo Kovacic, with Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo, and Savinho supporting striker Omar Marmoush. This match concludes Manchester City‘s pre-season tour, which included an earlier draw with Inter in Hong Kong and a victory over K-League All Stars.
Source: bbc.co.uk