Manchester City kicked off their pre-season tour of the United States with an unexpected 4-3 defeat to Scottish champions Celtic. Despite fielding a strong lineup featuring stars such as Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish, City were unable to secure victory.
Celtic opened the scoring with a well-executed team goal from Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn. City equalized through Oscar Bobb, but Celtic surged ahead before halftime with goals from Kuhn and Kyogo Furuhashi, taking a commanding 3-1 lead into the break.
City responded swiftly in the second half, with Máximo Perrone scoring just seconds after the restart, followed by Haaland netting the equalizer. However, Celtic substitute Luis Palma scored the decisive goal, securing a 4-3 win for the Scottish side.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola faces uncertainty regarding the future of goalkeeper Ederson, who has been linked with a move to Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League. Reports suggest Ederson has agreed to terms with the club, with City potentially seeking €50-€60 million for the transfer.
“I don’t know if Ederson will stay,” Guardiola commented. “He has to make a decision.” This statement comes just a day after Guardiola affirmed that Kevin De Bruyne would remain with the Premier League champions.
City’s pre-season preparations continue as they aim to fine-tune their squad ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign. Despite the loss, Guardiola will look to draw positives and work on areas of improvement as they progress through their pre-season fixtures.
