Man City chase seventh straight win and a 129-year first against Ipswich

Manchester City can make a piece of club history on Saturday when they host Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium, with a seventh consecutive Premier League win in their sights.

According to BBC Sport, victory would give City seven straight league wins and their first such start to a top-flight season in 129 years. The match kicks off at 15:00 BST, and The Athletic's table had City top of the Premier League before the weekend, with Ipswich sitting 10th.

The gap in the standings is wide, but the recent history between the two clubs is wider still. BBC Sport noted that City scored 10 goals across their two meetings with Ipswich in the 2024-25 season, and the most recent fixture listed by Yahoo Sports was a 6-0 win for City away at Ipswich on 19 January 2025.

A record against promoted sides

City have shown little mercy to teams coming up from the division below. BBC Sport reported that City are unbeaten in their last 31 league matches against newly promoted sides, winning 28 of them.

Those numbers set the tone for Saturday. Ipswich have made a respectable start to the campaign, judging by their place in the top half of the table, but the Etihad has been an unforgiving ground for visiting clubs with far less at stake than City. Maresca's side, meanwhile, are in the kind of form that has them chasing a 129-year first rather than simply three points.

Gary O'Neil, the Ipswich manager, spoke to the media before the match, as did Enzo Maresca for City, according to BBC Sport. Neither man will need reminding of what happened the last time these sides met.

Foden back, Haaland leads the line

Maresca has a full squad to choose from. Yahoo Sports reported that City have no injury concerns ahead of the game, and the manager also welcomes back Phil Foden, who is available again after serving a three-match suspension for the red card he received against Manchester United on 13 September.

Whether Foden goes straight back into the starting line-up is another matter. Yahoo Sports reported that Maresca had not decided whether Foden would start, which suggests the manager is weighing the return of one of his most creative players against a side that has won six league games in a row and has no obvious reason to change.

Up front, there is less doubt. Yahoo Sports reported that Maresca said Erling Haaland would need rest at some point, but that the striker was expected to lead the line against Ipswich. Given City's record against promoted teams and the 10 goals they put past Ipswich over two games in 2024-25, Haaland will fancy his chances of adding to his tally before any break arrives.

For Ipswich, the task is to avoid a repeat of January 2025. O'Neil's side sit comfortably in mid-table, and a result at the Etihad, even a draw, would be the kind of statement that few visiting clubs get to make against City.

How to follow it

Supporters in the UK will not be able to watch the match live on television. Yahoo Sports reported that the fixture falls within the Saturday 15:00 blackout, with highlights to be shown on Match of the Day.

City's week does not get any quieter after Saturday. Maresca's side are back at the Etihad on Tuesday 20 October to face AEK Athens in the Champions League, which is where the question of rest for Haaland may well come up again.