Man City
Silva: Liverpool Remain City’s Principal Rival as Arsenal Loom in North London
Bernardo Silva says Liverpool remain City’s main rivals as Arsenal prepare for north London rematch.
Bernardo Silva made plain where he believes Manchester City’s fiercest competition lies ahead of a Premier League meeting with Arsenal. He insisted Liverpool — not the Gunners — remain the benchmark for Pep Guardiola’s side, pointing to a period when Liverpool were genuine title challengers before Arsenal’s rise.
Between 2018 and 2022 the two clubs were virtually inseparable in the table. Liverpool amassed 357 Premier League points in that span while City recorded 358. City claimed three titles to Jürgen Klopp’s solitary triumph in 2020, and Silva used that recent history to underline his view of who truly challenged City for honours.
“Our biggest rival by far is Liverpool,” he told Sky Sports before City take on the Gunners on Sunday afternoon, “because those are the guys that always competed with us for titles, and they also managed to win titles.
“Then you definitely see a team like Arsenal over the years getting better and better, and being able to start fighting for those titles, even though they haven’t yet reached that level of achieving it.”
Silva also downplayed Manchester United as a title threat since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement 12 years ago, describing United as opponents mainly because of proximity. “I would say that Manchester United has been going through quite a difficult phase for their club over the last years—it’s a rivalry because we’re in the same city,” he shrugged.
The Gunners’ last meeting with City was emphatic. Arsenal ran out 5–1 winners at the Emirates, a defeat Silva summed up bluntly when he admitted “was a really bad time for us.” Rodri, reflecting on that result, added: “Now we have a bit of revenge for Arsenal, because we were in a bad moment and they took advantage of that,” he warned. The pair meet again in north London with those recent chapters in mind.
Man City
Silva Confirms He Knows Next Move but Keeps Focus on City’s Present
Silva knows his next step but will not dwell on it, prioritising City and mentoring younger players.
Bernardo Silva has made clear he is aware of what lies ahead when his Manchester City contract expires, but he says now is not the moment to dwell on that decision. With his deal due to end next summer, Silva faces a window in which he could sign a pre-contract with foreign clubs in January or become a free agent in 2026 should he not agree an extension.
Speaking before City’s Champions League clash with Monaco — the club Silva departed to join City in 2017 — the Portugal international acknowledged the timeline while insisting his attention remains on the team. “I know exactly what I’m going to do but it’s not the time to focus on it,” he said. Silva added: “It’s to do my best, to put the club back to where it belongs. We’ve had a lot of captains who’ve left but it’s for the guys who have the most experience to pass it on to the young guys.”
The midfielder will make his 415th appearance for City in Lisbon and is set to move past Kevin De Bruyne’s tally of 422 appearances to become the club’s eighth-most capped player ever. That longevity has been accompanied by a full trophy cabinet. Silva has won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League with the Cityzens and could yet add more silverware in what might be his final season with the club.
Pep Guardiola paid tribute ahead of the match, underlining Silva’s influence both on and off the pitch. He enthused: “He cannot do better as a captain. He is one of the best players ever in training, it is a luxury for me to have had him these ten years.”
For now Silva’s public message is straightforward: the future is known to him, but his priority is to help Manchester City recover and to share experience with younger team-mates as the campaign continues.
Arsenal
Midweek Champions League preview: nine fixtures and straight predictions
Full midweek Champions League preview with concise predictions for nine Wednesday fixtures. in full.
Midweek delivers a full slate of Champions League fixtures and a chance for several clubs to set the tone for the 2025/26 league phase. Manchester City and Arsenal return after measured wins in Gameweek 1, while Borussia Dortmund and Juventus are both chasing first victories following their 4–4 draw two weeks ago.
Kick-off times begin at 5.45 p.m. BST for the early pair of matches before the main evening programme at 8 p.m. BST.
Qarabag made history in Gameweek 1 as the first Azerbaijani side to win in the Champions League proper, recovering from a two-goal deficit in Lisbon to overcome Benfica, who have since replaced Bruno Lage with José Mourinho. Copenhagen drew 2–2 with Bayer Leverkusen last time out. Prediction: Qarabag 1–1 Copenhagen.
The Belgians are coming, folks. Union Saint-Gilloise upset PSV Eindhoven at the Philips Stadion in Gameweek 1 and will host Newcastle United at the Joseph Marien Stadium. Newcastle sit 15th in the Premier League and lost 2–1 to Barcelona in their opening group game. Prediction: Union Saint-Gilloise 0–0 Newcastle.
Arsenal meet Olympiacos in a fixture that renews a long European rivalry that has produced mixed results for both clubs. Arsenal have evolved considerably since earlier Europa League exits. Prediction: Arsenal 4–0 Olympiacos.
With echoes of last season’s continental showpiece, Barcelona face Paris Saint-Germain in what is billed as a heavyweight clash despite injuries on both sides. Strap in. Prediction: Barcelona 3–2 Paris Saint-Germain.
Kasper Hjulmand has gone four games unbeaten since taking the Bayer Leverkusen job; Leverkusen drew in Copenhagen thanks to a stoppage-time own goal. PSV, still led by Peter Bosz, will seek a response. Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 2–1 PSV Eindhoven.
Borussia Dortmund must recover from squandering a lead to Juventus two weeks ago but remain unbeaten domestically. Athletic Club impressed against Arsenal in Gameweek 1. Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3–0 Athletic Club.
Manchester City travel to Monaco, recalling Guardiola’s team that bowed out to a Monaco side in 2016–17. Monaco need a response after defeat to Club Brugge. Prediction: Monaco 1–3 Man City.
Napoli will look to rebound after recent setbacks and a red card for Giovanni Di Lorenzo earlier; Sporting CP visit following a comfortable win over Kairat Almaty. Prediction: Napoli 2–0 Sporting CP.
Marcelino’s Villarreal face Juventus, who have begun well under Igor Tudor despite a draw with Atalanta. This should be tight. Prediction: Villarreal 2–1 Juventus.
Burnley
Man City v Burnley: Tactical Preview, Team News and Predicted XIs
Haaland fit as City seek to overcome Burnley’s compact defence at the Etihad this Saturday 3pm GMT.
Manchester City host Burnley at the Etihad Stadium following contrasting midweek cup results. City progressed in cup action while Burnley were stunned at home by League One Cardiff City. The fixture arrives with Manchester City seeking to restore momentum after a mixed start to the 2025/26 campaign.
Erling Haaland has been central to City’s early goalscoring, having scored six of their nine Premier League goals this term. He missed City’s cup game with a reported back injury that troubled him the previous weekend but has been given the all clear to play against the Clarets. FPL managers will be tracking Erling Haaland’s fitness incessantly up until Saturday morning, with Bunley (H) enticing many to use their ’Triple Captain’ chip.
Injury updates leave City without Rayan Aït-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov. Mateo Kovačić has returned to training and is in contention to feature for the first time this season. Guardiola was particularly complimentary of Phil Foden and Savinho in his prematch press conference, and both players could be included in City’s starting XI.
Kyle Walker faces his former club for the first time since leaving the Etihad permanently in the summer. With Scott Parker expected to deploy a back five, Walker will likely operate as a conservative wing-back on the right.
Burnley will assess Jacob Brunn Larsen ahead of kick-off but will be without Jordan Beyer, Connor Roberts and Zeki Amdouni. Lesley Ugochukwu was back in contention in midweek, though Parker could prefer summer arrival Florentino Luís alongside captain Josh Cullen in midfield.
Burnley have shown defensive resilience through five weeks of the season but arrive with a poor recent record against City, who have won the previous 13 meetings by an aggregate score of 46–2. City are likely to face a deep and compact Clarets block, with Jaidon Anthony offering a transition threat that must be managed.
Man City predicted lineup vs. Burnley (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Rodri; Savinho, Foden, Reijnders, Doku; Haaland.
Burnley predicted lineup vs. Man City (5-4-1): Dúbravka; Walker, Laurent, Ekdal, Estève, Hartman; Tchaouna, Cullen, Florentino, Anthony; Foster.
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