Five things to watch out for in Man City vs Club America: Erling Haaland debut, new kit & more

Manchester City face Mexican side Club America in the early hours of Thursday morning (UK time), in what will be the Blues’ first game of pre-season.

For Pep Guardiola, it’s a chance to begin formulating his plans for the 2022/23 campaign and get some vital on-field minutes for his players.

The City boss and Kyle Walker held a press conference on Tuesday night, followed by an open training session at the PNC Stadium in Houston, where City will face Club America.

While pre-season friendlies tend to be less-meaningful encounters, this one feels different given how much has changed at the Etihad this summer, with a plethora of arrivals and departures.

Ahead of the game, we’ve selected five things to watch out for…

Haaland’s City first game

Let’s start with the obvious, City’s marquee signing will make his first appearance for the club in Texas. Supporters have been waiting since the end of last term to see the Norwegian in action, so there’s plenty of excitement.

Haaland could net his maiden goal for the club against Club America, an opposition City shouldn’t find too difficult, even if they are fitter than Guardiola’s gaggle at present.

The match will also offer the first chance to see how the Premier League champions will line up with a traditional striker, and how he links up with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish.

Haaland isn’t the only summer signing expected to feature in Houston, as are Stefan Ortega Moreno, Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez.

Who will play at the back?

Ruben Dias missed the open training session, with John Stones and Aymeric Laporte not making the trip to America.

Meanwhile, Oleksandr Zinchenko’s transfer to Arsenal means he won’t be involved against Club America, leaving Guardiola with three senior defenders: Nathan Ake, Joao Cancelo and Walker.

So it’s worth noting who will play at the back for the Blues, with Rodri possibly dropping into the heart of defence.

Youth-team players Luke Mbete, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, Rico Lewis and Finley Burns are also options.

Youngsters to be given a chance?

Speaking of young guns, Guardiola’s squad is packed full of underage players who don’t tend to occupy a place in his matchday squad.

Oscar Bobb and Ben Knight go alongside the aforementioned quartet of defenders, while the rarely spotted Kayky is part of the tour squad.

Liam Delap, Cole Palmer and James McAtee could also get another chance to show City fans what they can offer the team.

Fitness levels

With City having just three warm-up games to prepare for the season - one of those being next weekend’s Community Shield against Liverpool - Guardiola doesn’t have the luxury of gradually building up the game-time of his players.

So it will be interesting to see how many minutes he hands his senior players on Thursday, with around 10 senior outfield players expected to be involved in the match.

Could, for instance, the City manager give the likes of De Bruyne, Grealish and Bernardo Silva an hour’s worth of football?

New kit on show

City will debut their new away kit against Club America. The red and black diagonally striped shirt is a nod to their successes in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

“Conceived by the legendary Malcolm Allison, the kit featured red and black vertical stripes that proved triumphant at the 1969 FA Cup final, and the 1970 League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup final, earning their place among the fans all-time favorites,” the club said upon its release.

City are also yet to wear their new home strip in a match, with Saturday’s clash against Bayern Munich likely to be the first time it’s on show.