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Enzo Maresca said the mood in his Manchester City dressing room remained buoyant despite the cloud hanging over the club.
“In any club, when you lose important players, many important players, and you lose the manager after 10 years, it always takes time to compete again,” he said on Thursday.
“But this organisation last summer changed many important players, changed the manager after 10 years, and we are competing at the moment.”
Other than a 4-2 Champions League defeat by holders Paris Saint-Germain, Maresca has made a flawless start to the daunting task of succeeding Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
The Italian is the first manager ever to win his first seven Premier League games in charge of a new club.
However, City’s fine form has been overshadowed by the threat of severe sanctions against the club for the widespread flouting of Premier League financial rules.
A large points deduction, which could lead to relegation, is likely unless City win their appeal.
Bayern Munich expect coach Vincent Kompany to miss an extended period as he continues his hospital treatment for a virus after collapsing on the training pitch on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Bayern sporting director Max Eberl confirmed Kompany was still hospitalised in a “stable” condition.
Kompany’s English assistant coach Aaron Danks will replace the 40-year-old for Sunday’s Bundesliga match at Freiburg.
Eberl told reporters “examinations were continuing” to determine the nature of the former Manchester City and Belgium captain’s condition, with a recovery timeframe yet to be determined.
“Vinnie will be given all the time he needs. We’re not starting to put together any timeframes.
“We need to firstly figure out what it is and then we’ll discuss calmly what recovery time is to be. We won’t be talking about days, but weeks. We need to all be clear on that.”
Our attention turns to Spain’s La Liga on Sunday as we bring you live coverage of El Clasico – Barcelona vs Real Madrid.
The match and Camp Nou kicks off at 9pm (19:00 GMT).
Click here for our full match preview or head to Al Jazeera Sport for a collection of other articles in the build-up to the game.
Both sides will line up with 4-2-3-1 formations, with City reverting back to using Erling Haaland as a striker after Phil Foden played as a false nine in midweek.
Erling Haaland is back in the starting lineup, having started the Champions League game in midweek on the bench.
Iliman Ndiaye, Jeremy Doku and Marc Guehi join the striker in returning to the first XI.
Phil Foden, Tyrone Samba, Allan and Rico Lewis all miss out, with the former – a hat-trick hero in midweek – having to make do with a place among the subs.
From where will you be following our live Aston Villa vs Manchester City coverage? The global kickoff times are below:
Where will you be supporting from today, Blues? 🌍
🤝 @etihad pic.twitter.com/M7t7ULBWmU
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 24, 2026
Johan Manzambi, Matty Cash, Ian Maatsen and Boubacar Kamara come in for Villa.
Emiliano Buendia, Tyrone Mings, Ross Barkley and Ibrahim Mbaye are the four to drop out.
Your Villa XI to face Man City 🔒 #AVLMCI pic.twitter.com/Vs4cIPiSzF
— Aston Villa (@AstonVilla) October 24, 2026
Your City side to take on Villa! 👊
XI | Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias (C), Guéhi, Gvardiol, Anderson, Fernández, Ndiaye, Cherki, Doku, Haaland
SUBS | Rulli, Kovačić, Aït-Nouri, Reis, Bouaddi, O'Reilly, Foden, McAidoo, Lewis
🤝 @etihad pic.twitter.com/E7MqmFGiK7
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 24, 2026
Forward Antoine Semenyo is set for a lengthy spell out with a knee injury while wing back Nico O’Reilly and midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes are doubts.
League-leading scorer Erling Haaland was rested for Tuesday’s 5-1 Champions League thrashing of AEK Athens because of a knock but is expected to be available against Villa.
Predicted Manchester City starting lineup
Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Bouaddi, Fernandez; Foden, Haaland, Doku
Amadou Onana, Matteo Ruggeri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka miss out through injury. Johan Manzambi and Modou Keba Cisse both face fitness tests.
Predicted Aston Villa starting lineup
Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Gomes; McGinn, Manzambi, Buendia; Jackson
Former Chelsea and Napoli coach Antonio Conte has denied being in advanced negotiations to replace Manchester United manager Michael Carrick, and called reports that he had demanded full control at the club “unfounded”.
Conte, who won the Premier League with Chelsea and also managed Tottenham Hotspur in England, was responding to speculation that he had requested full control while also making financial demands of the struggling Old Trafford club.
United sit 13th in the Premier League and 20th in the Champions League standings following Wednesday’s humiliating 4-1 thrashing by Italian side Como, increasing scrutiny on Carrick.
“My name has been linked with numerous clubs, but there are currently no negotiations at an advanced stage,” Conte said in a statement.
“Following a wonderful and successful spell in charge of Napoli, I will take the time I need to consider how and when to return to management,” he added, referring to his time in Naples, where he won Serie A in the 2024-25 season.
“It will be a carefully considered decision, one I will make when I believe the conditions are right.
“I have read reports of financial demands and requests for full control that I have supposedly already made to the clubs mentioned, as well as reservations about what has been described as my ‘strong personality’.
“These reports are unfounded, as there is currently no concrete basis for such assessments.”
Manchester United entertain Bournemouth on Sunday in the Premier League.
Read More: Carrick accepts blame for Man United slump, but ‘confident’ of a turnaround
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Aston Villa take on league leaders Manchester City in the English Premier League. Who will win? Vote below 👇
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— AJE Sport (@AJE_Sport) October 24, 2026
Enzo Maresca says it is his job as Manchester City boss to help Phil Foden rediscover his best form after the England international ended his long goal drought.
Foden had not scored for 10 months before netting in City’s 3-2 win over Ipswich last weekend and then scoring a Champions League hat-trick in a 5-1 rout of AEK Athens on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old swept the board of personal awards for the Premier League’s best player in the 2023-2024 season after a 27-goal campaign.
But Foden, who has admitted struggling with mental health issues, has failed to hit top form for the past two seasons.
“Since we started, I sat down with Phil two or three times, especially at the beginning, just to show him – I don’t know if love is the right word to use – but just to show him how important he is,” said Maresca, who took charge of City in June.
“I said many times that I know Phil from years ago, so I know how, for different reasons, the last few years it was not good enough.
“When you have more players like Phil available, you are a better team because again it’s a matter of improving players. If you improve the players, you improve the team.
“So for me, I think it’s my duty to try to help Phil to be again one of the best players in England.”
Manchester City’s appeal after being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules is expected to be heard by January, according to the head of English football’s independent regulator.
“The Premier League has said that they want to get this resolved within the season, and actually, of course, it’s not the Premier League. It’s an independent commission that’s actually going to hear this, made up of three retired judges or lawyers,” Independent Football Regulator Chairman David Kogan told Times Radio last week.
“My understanding is that there is a prescribed process, which is 12 weeks, and so people are assuming this will actually be heard by the middle or the end of January,” he added.
“But as I say, it’s not our process. It’s that of the Premier League’s independent commission. What I don’t think we can do is take any judgement until we’re quite clear.”
City have repeatedly maintained they are innocent of any wrongdoing.
No sanction has been announced, but City could face a heavy points deduction leading to relegation. There has even been speculation they could be stripped of the three Premier League titles they won from 2009 to 2018.
Waiting for the game? You can catch our latest football documentary, Football Fandom: Community or Commodity?
With Manchester City appealing a guilty verdict for breaching Premier League financial rules, the spotlight on ownership has become even greater.
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany was rushed to hospital on Friday after collapsing during a training session, the German champions say.
The Belgian had been fighting a virus in recent days and had missed some of his team’s training sessions.
“On Friday, Vincent Kompany required medical attention after collapsing during a training session for Bayern’s reserve team,” the club said. “The head coach of the professional squad had been observing the second team’s session.”
“Kompany is currently undergoing a thorough examination in the hospital and will remain under medical care. For the time being, his coaching staff will manage all training and match-related operations.”
The Bundesliga leaders, who drew 2-2 at home against Arsenal in the Champions League this week, are due to travel to Freiburg on Sunday.
“Vincent Kompany’s health is our top priority,” said Max Eberl, Bayern’s board member for sport. “At Bayern, we will do everything we can to ensure he makes a speedy recovery.
“Vinnie is receiving all the necessary medical care and support, and he will be given as much time as he needs. Everyone at FC Bayern wishes Vinnie a quick recovery.”
Kompany, a 40-year-old former Manchester City defender, had missed training and a news conference on Tuesday before the Arsenal game this week.
Ex-Barcelona forward to make November return, having last played for Brazilian club Fluminense in 2015.
Messi awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for his work for disadvantaged children’s access to health and education.
Manchester United make worst start to a season in 40 years, but Michael Carrick ‘confident’ ahead of Bournemouth game.
One of world football’s biggest rivalries renews on Sunday when Barcelona host Real Madrid in La Liga’s El Clasico.
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