Manchester City's fixtures for the 2022/23 Premier League season were confirmed today, with West Ham, Bournemouth and Newcastle United their first three opponents.
A dramatic comeback against Aston Villa on the final day of the season saw Man City lift their sixth Premier League title last season, their fourth under Pep Guardiola. Ahead of the new season, City have already added extra talent to their side, signing forwards Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland.
The Premier League announced the official fixtures for next season at 9:00 BST on Thursday, June 16, 2022, and City have a good start to the season on paper. Guardiola's first clash with rivals Manchester United will be on October 1, whilst their first game against Liverpool will be on October 15.
ALSO READ: Erling Haaland FIFA 22 rating assessed as Man City transfer confirmed
So, how could City perform in these fixtures next season, and what will their standout results be? To try and predict the future, we simulated City's entire 2022/23 season to try and see where Guardiola's side could finish in the Premier League next season.
Man City's 2022/23 Premier League fixtures simulated
To complete this simulation, we used Football Manager 2022 and updated the game with the latest teams, transfers, and most importantly, the updated fixtures for the 2022/23 season. Let's see how City faired in some of their games next season.
Opening game: West Ham 0-1 Man City (Saturday, August 7, 2022)
A tough fixture for the opening game of the season, but City still managed to find the win in a close affair. Raheem Sterling grabbed the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win away to West Ham, with his strike coming early in the first half as City earned their first clean sheet and win of the season.
Biggest win: Man City 5-1 Fulham (Saturday, November 5, 2022)
As always, City were one of the most dangerous teams in front of goal, ending the campaign with 80 goals scored in 38 games. New signing Haaland was to thank for a chunk of those, and the Norwegian grabbed four in City's biggest win of the season.
Along with Haaland's four goals, Kevin De Bruyne got on the scoresheet in a 5-1 win over Fulham. City also scored four goals in six different games, and Haaland ended his first season in England as the club's top scorer with 22 goals.
Biggest shock: Man City 0-1 Crystal Palace (Saturday, August 27, 2022)
Crystal Palace have proven to be a bit of a bogey team against Guardiola, with the Eagles stealing points off City in five of their last nine Premier League meetings. The same trend continued in the simulation, with City's worst result of the season being a 1-0 defeat to Palace at home.
Jean-Phillipe Mateta scored the only goal of the game as he ended a six-game win streak for City. City found themselves on the end of another 1-0 defeat later in the season against Spurs, another team which occasionally gets the better of Guardiola.
Derby days: Manchester United vs Manchester City
Two of the most anticipated fixtures for a Man City fan is their clashes with local rivals Man United, and Guardiola's side picked up four points from six against United in the simulation. Goals from De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus saw City come from a goal behind to win 2-1 at the Etihad in the first meeting between the two sides.
The draw came in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford, with Haaland's opener being cancelled out by Cristiano Ronaldo in a 1-1 draw. City had a good record against the big six in the simulated season, losing just three of the 10 games.
Title face-offs: Manchester City vs Liverpool
In the past few seasons, league titles have been either won or lost in the big clash between City and Liverpool, the two favourites for the title. Last season, two draws were enough for City to pip the Reds to the league title by a point, but in the simulation, City drew the home clash and lost at Anfield.
Gabriel Jesus' late equaliser earned City a point at the Etihad after Joel Matip's opener. In the reverse fixture, Liverpool picked up a 2-1 win, with Jesus scoring either side of Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
Final game: Brentford 0-4 Man City (Sunday, May 28, 2023)
Man City cruised to victory on the final day of the season, beating Brentford 4-0 away from home to top off the season. Goals from De Bruyne, Sterling, Aymeric Laporte and Bernardo Silva handed Guardiola all three points.
So, after 38 league games, how did City do in the Premier League? Did the addition of Haaland help guide City to a third consecutive title, or was it time for a new champion?
2022/23 Premier League final standings
Despite racking up a total of 94 points, City were unable to make it three league titles in a row as Liverpool claimed top spot. Interestingly, the tally of 94 points is one more than City earned in the 2021/22 season showing improvement was made, but Liverpool also improved on their tally of 92, earning 96 points overall. In the end, City's defeat at Anfield proved to be the difference.
Liverpool ended the campaign as the league's top scorers and with the best defence, despite Haaland's arrival. Once again, it was a two-horse race for the title, with Spurs in third place tallying 13 points less than City.
Overall, according to Football Manager 2022's Premier League simulation for the 2022/23 campaign, Man City could improve on last season and gain more points in the league, but an improvement from Liverpool could see Guardiola's side just miss out on the title.
Would you be happy with these results for Man City next season? Let us know in the comments below!
Sign up to our City newsletter so you never miss an update from the Etihad Stadium this season.
