Manchester City plan first opponent of 2023/24 pre-season tour

Premier League champions Manchester City are reportedly planning their first opponents of the 2023/24 pre-season tour this summer.

Pep Guardiola and his players are expected to make the trip to Asia this summer as they put together plans and preparations for the new season, while their jaunt is likely to also be a showcase of new signings in the coming months.

Manchester City officials remain hard at work with regards to strengthening and refreshing Guardiola’s first-team playing squad, as a number of key positions are targeted in the weeks and months leading up to the opening of the summer transfer window.

Simultaneously, officials elsewhere within Manchester City’s offices also look to finalise their plans for the upcoming 2023/24 pre-season tour – the final opportunity to plot out a masterplan to secure more success in the season.

City are expected to make a trip to Asia this summer, with all of Japan, South Korea, and Thailand targeted for potential pre-season friendly matches against familiar opposition, new faces, and other clubs within the City Football Group portfolio.

Now, according to the information of Nikkan Sports, Manchester City are planning to take on a friendly clash against Yokohama F·Marinos – one of the most successful teams in Japan that are part-owned by the City Football Group, alongside Nissan.

Alongside Premier League champions City, it is also reported that Scottish giants Celtic are plotting a similar move by taking on the J1 outfit in a pre-season friendly this summer.

In an additional update concerning the pre-season tour, it is also suggested by Jack Gaughan that City hope to ‘show some new faces’ in July – a trip described as the ‘most commercially successful in the club’s history’ once signed.

For now however, Manchester City will remain firmly focussed on the season at hand, as they continue to challenge in three different competitions, with the Premier League likely to be their main focus in the immediate future.

City face strong opposition in Arsenal for the Premier League title this campaign, as Mikel Arteta’s side hold an eight-point lead at the top of the division, despite the reigning Champions having a game in hand and the two sides set to face off later this month.

Manchester City next take on Southampton in the Premier League before their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie against Bayern Munich next week.