Man City boss Enzo Maresca expects toughest game of season so far against Sunderland | OneFootball

Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca says Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Sunderland is likely to be their toughest assignment so far this season.

As reported by Sunderland Echo, he believes City will need a top-level display and his players must be at 100% to win.

City have won all four league matches under the Italian, with their only setback a Community Shield defeat to Arsenal. They have also beaten FC Porto in the Champions League and Norwich City in the Carabao Cup.

Sunderland have four points from their first four league games. They impressed in a 2-0 loss to defending champions Arsenal last Saturday, then claimed a 1-0 Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar in midweek.

Maresca said he had watched several of Sunderland’s recent games, including the Arsenal match, and felt they did not deserve to lose. He praised their coaching, aggression and clarity on and off the ball, and said they win plenty of duels.

He noted the lift of playing in front of City’s fans and said that, if they win, it is simply one more win, but they will still need to deliver at a very high level.

Maresca said Jeremy Doku could be available for Sunderland, which would be his first outing since the Community Shield in August. The winger recorded eight goals and 14 assists in 47 appearances in all competitions last season.

Source: Sunderland Echo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”