Man City
Savinho Commits to Manchester City Until 2031 After Breakthrough Seasons
Savinho signs until 2031 at Man City after a strong debut campaign; Guardiola says he will be elite.
Manchester City have confirmed Savinho has signed a new contract, extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium through 2031.
The 21-year-old winger, who rose through City Football Group channels after a move from French side ESTAC Troyes, spent loan spells at PSV and Girona. His 2023–24 season with Girona represented a clear step forward: he scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in 41 appearances, helping the Spanish side qualify for the Champions League.
Savinho made the permanent move to Manchester City the following summer and featured regularly under Pep Guardiola. In his debut campaign at the club he made 48 appearances, scored three goals and registered 13 assists.
“I am incredibly proud to be able to sign this new contract with City. It’s a very special feeling to know that Pep and the Club have placed such faith in me. It really means a lot to me and my family. I feel I have so much improving to do—I am still young and very hungry to keep learning. But I know that working with Pep and his staff will help me to keep developing as a player,” Savinho said in an announcement.
Guardiola underlined the young winger’s potential in the club statement. “His numbers for goals and assists last season—Savinho created a lot, and in the final third, [he needs to] be active in the right moment. The moment he does that, he’s young, he will be a top-class player. He will make this step—it will come. Savinho will be a top player for Man City,” Guardiola said of Savinho in the announcement.
Tottenham made a formal approach for Savinho in the summer transfer window. The club were reportedly interested in letting Savinho go for a fee around €50 million (£43.3 million, $58.2 million) at the time, according to The Athletic, but a move never materialised.
Despite the club-level vote of confidence, Savinho was excluded from Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazilian national team squad for October international action.
Carabao Cup
Guardiola cautious on Haaland after Villa collision as City look to cup and recovery
Guardiola gave a cautious update on Haaland after his collision; City target cup tie and recovery. .
Pep Guardiola offered a restrained update on Erling Haaland after the striker appeared to be in clear discomfort following a collision with the woodwork at Villa Park. Haaland remained on the ground in visible pain but was able to finish the match and did not require a substitution.
On the injury scare Guardiola said, “Hopefully he is fine.” The manager’s short response left the club with a small window to manage the forward’s recovery before a lighter fixture list.
Man City’s next match is against Swansea City in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Guardiola should not need Haaland to make an appearance against the Championship side, giving the No. 9 additional time to recover. Haaland already has 24 goals to his name for both club and country this season, and the expectation is to have him fit for the visit of second-place Bournemouth to the Etihad on Sunday, Nov. 2.
The defeat at Aston Villa ended a nine-game unbeaten run for the 10-time English champions and left City in fifth place, six points behind league-leaders Arsenal. Guardiola addressed the title race directly, saying: “We try to close [the gap],” Guardiola said. “Arsenal have been solid for many years. The concern is how we improve better to be close.
“From my experience, it is so long. There are many teams there—Bournemouth are doing really well—and we try to do our game. Our job is not to watch the title. If [Arsenal] win all their games and win the Premier League, congratulate them. But I feel that the team is alive, it’s good,” Guardiola finished.
With fixtures against Bournemouth and Liverpool coming in the next two weeks, Guardiola will be focused on restoring form and moving into the November international window with his squad in better shape.
Man City
Haaland’s Scoring Run and the Vardy Record He Is Pursuing
Haaland has six straight Premier League games with goals; he needs five more to reach Vardy’s 11. 25
Erling Haaland has begun the 2025–26 season in relentless fashion, compiling 24 goals in 14 games for club and country. The 25-year-old added three strikes since returning from the October international break, including a match-winning brace against Everton last weekend and a Champions League goal away at Villarreal.
In the Premier League Haaland has now scored in six successive matches and is closing on the all-time run of 11 consecutive top-flight games set by Jamie Vardy. Vardy established that mark during Leicester’s title-winning 2015–16 season, overtaking the previous record of ten held by Ruud van Nistelrooy. Vardy officially achieved the feat on Nov. 28, 2015 against Manchester United.
Haaland’s previous best Premier League run was seven consecutive games with goals, a sequence that stretched from August to October 2022. The list of the leading runs in the competition includes Jamie Vardy (11), Ruud van Nistelrooy (10) and players with eight-game sequences such as Alexander Isak and Daniel Sturridge.
To match Vardy’s record Haaland must score in his next five league matches. Manchester City’s upcoming five Premier League fixtures are Aston Villa (A), Bournemouth (H), Liverpool (H), Newcastle United (A) and Leeds United (H). If he finds the net in each of those games he would then also need to score against Fulham (A) on Dec. 2 to reach 11 straight.
The available opponent data in the draft provides context for those fixtures. Against Aston Villa Haaland has played 4 matches and scored 1 goal; against Bournemouth 7 matches and 2 goals; Liverpool 8 matches and 3 goals; Newcastle 6 matches and 1 goal; Leeds 2 matches and 2 goals. Fulham is listed with 6 matches in the draft without a goals total supplied.
Renewing a run of scoring in every league game will be a clear challenge given the sequence of opponents, but the facts in this season to date show Haaland in exceptional form and closing on one of the Premier League’s most notable goalscoring records.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa v Man City: Match preview, injuries and predicted lineups
City travel to Villa Park with Haaland in form; Villa aim to recover from Europa League loss. and injuries
Manchester City head to Villa Park on Sunday determined to finally end their recent hoodoo at Aston Villa. City arrive on the back of a comfortable Champions League victory, a 2–0 win at Villarreal courtesy of first-half goals from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva. Haaland has been irresistible this season, failing to score in only one match and contributing 24 goals for club and country.
Aston Villa come into the fixture in low spirits after a rotated side were beaten 2–1 by Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League, a result that halted a five-match winning run across all competitions. The Midlands club must be more stubborn than they were in Deventer if they are to challenge City and push for a move into the top half of the table.
Villa have a largely healthy squad but will be without Youri Tielemans following the calf injury he suffered in mid-September; he is unlikely to return before the November international break. Andrés García will miss out, and Lucas Digne is a significant doubt after sitting out the trip to the Netherlands with an ankle problem picked up at Tottenham Hotspur.
Emery is expected to pick a side similar to the team that beat Spurs, with Ollie Watkins a possible recall for Donyell Malen. Evann Guessand, who scored his first Villa goal midweek, could continue on the right. Ian Maatsen is set to replace the injured Digne, while Morgan Rogers, John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash are likely to start after only brief cameos in the Europa League.
Aston Villa predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Onana; Guessand, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins.
Pep Guardiola has confirmed Rodri and Abdukodir Khusanov will miss the visit to Villa. Nico González, who suffered a foot injury against Villarreal, will be assessed nearer kick-off. Guardiola is expected to rotate his XI, with Tijjani Reijnders, Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly pushing for returns.
Man City predicted lineup (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Kovačić; Silva, Reijnders, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
Villa have a good recent home record against City, but City are favourites. Villa should test the visitors, but City’s firepower, led by Haaland, could prove decisive.
