Who Will Be Manchester City’s Main Challengers In The Premier League 2023/24?

Last season, Manchester City walked away with the three Major trophies of the campaign.

They wrapped up the Premier League, then followed that with an FA Cup win over Manchester United.

Lastly, they defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League Final to join the 1999 Manchester United team as the only treble winners in history.

Pep Guardiola and his team have now set a precedent for the 2023/24 season, but is it one they can match this season?

Or will some of City’s main opponents finally catch up to City’s relentless pursuit of silverware?

In this article, we’ll examine where City stand heading into the new season. Then we will look at the teams most likely, and most capable, of catching them.

What The Bookmakers Say

The bookmakers are always a good marker for how strong a team is heading into the new season. Bet365 Sport have Manchester City as the following odds to land the three big trophies once again.

• Premier League – 8/11 favourites
• FA Cup – 3/1 favourites
• Football League Cup – 7/2 favourites
• UEFA Champions League – 2/1 favourites

It is abundantly clear therefore, that the bookies rate City’s chances of another treble, or even a quadruple, as very good indeed.

In fact, you can get 66/1 with bet365 on Manchester City winning all four trophies next season and they are just 18/1 to complete the same treble next season as they did this.

So, if anybody is going to stop Manchester City claiming a record-setting fourth Premier League title in a row – who is it likely to be?

Before we look at that, we need to take a look at how City stand right now, which is outlined below.

Manchester City

Last Season’s Performances

• Premier League – Winners
• FA Cup – Winners
• Football League Cup – Quarter Finals
• European Competition – Winners

Last Season’s Total Games Record

• Games Played – 61
• Won – 44
• Drawn – 10
• Lost – 7

Individual Performances

• Top Goalscorer (all comps) – Erling Haaland – 52 goals
• Top Assists (all comps) – Kevin De Bruyne – 29 assists

Players Incoming

• Mateo Kovacic – From Chelsea – £30,000,000

Player Departures

• Shea Charles – To Southampton – £15,000,000
• Ilkay Gundogan – To Barcelona – Free
• Benjamin Mendy – To Lorient – Free
• James Trafford – To Burnley – £19,000,000
• Josh Wilson Esbrand – To Reims – Loan Eos

Manchester City Team & Manager Rankings

Pos/Role	Name	Rating  (0-20)	Trending
GK	Ederson	19	No Change
DR	Kyle Walker	17	No Change
DC	Ruben Dias	18	No Change
DC	John Stones	18	Improving
DL	Manuel Akanji	16	Improving
DMC	Rodri	20	Improving
MC	Bernardo Silva	17	No Change
MC	Kevin De Bruyne	20	No Change
AMR	Phil Foden	16	Improving
AML	Jack Grealish	17	Improving
AC	Erling Haaland	20	Improving
Substitutes
SubGk	Stefan Ortega	14	Improving
Sub2	Nathan Ake	16	Improving
Sub3	Aymeric Laporte	14	Declining
Sub4	Rico Lewis	13	Improving
Sub5	Kalvin Phillips	16	Declining
Sub6	Mateo Kovacic	18	Improving
Sub7	Cole Palmer	13	Improving
Sub8	Riyad Mahrez	17	Declining
Sub9	Julian Alvarez	16	Improving
Manager
Manager	Pep Guardiola	20	No Change
Totals & Trends
Total First XI Rating (out of 220)		198	Improved on last season
Total Squad Rating (First XI & Subs – Out of 400)		335	No Change
Total Rating (First XI + Subs + Manager) / 420		355	Improved on last season

Rumoured Further Player Sales/Purchases That Could Affect The Ratings Above

• Sales – Kalvin Phillips, Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva
• Purchases – Josko Gvardiol, Gabri Veiga
• Odds To Win Premier League – 8/11

Let’s take a closer look now at some of their main rivals and their chances of stopping the City juggernaut.

Who Could Be Manchester City’s Major Premier League/ FA Cup/ League Cup Rivals?

Arsenal

Last Season’s Performances

• Premier League – 2^nd
• FA Cup – Fourth Round
• Football League Cup – Third Round
• European Competition – Europa League – Round of 16

Last Season’s Total Games Record

• Games Played – 49
• Won – 32
• Drawn – 8
• Lost – 9

Individual Performances

• Top Goalscorer (all comps) – Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka – 15 goals
• Top Assists (all comps) – Bukayo Saka – 11 assists

Players Incoming

• Kai Havertz – From Chelsea – £65,000,000
• Declan Rice – From West Ham – £105,000,000
• Jurrien Timber – From Ajax – £38,000,000

Player Departures

• Granit Xhaka – To Bayer Leverkusen – £21,400,000
• Pablo Mari – To Monza – Undisclosed
• Ainsley Maitland–Niles – Released

Arsenal Team & Manager Rankings

Pos/Role	Name	Rating  (0-20)	Trending
GK	Aaron Ramsdale	17	Improving
DMR	Jurrien Timber	15	Improving
DC	William Saliba	16	Improving
DC	Gabriel Magelhaes	15	Improving
DMC	Declan Rice	19	Improving
DML	Oleksandr Zinchenko	17	Improving
MC	Kai Havertz	18	Improving
MC	Martin Odegaard	19	Improving
AMR	Bukayo Saka	19	Improving
AML	Gabriel Martinelli	18	Improving
AC	Gabriel Jesus	16	No Change
Substitutes
SubGk	Matt Turner	14	No Change
Sub2	Kieran Tierney	14	No Change
Sub3	Ben White	15	Improving
Sub4	Rob Holding	13	No Change
Sub5	Thomas Partey	15	Declining
Sub6	Emile Smith Rowe	14	No Change
Sub7	Jorginho	15	No Change
Sub8	Eddie Nketiah	14	Improving
Sub9	Reiss Nelson	13	Improving
Manager
Manager	Mikel Arteta	18	Improving
Totals & Trends
Total First XI Rating (out of 220)		189	Improved on last season
Total Squad Rating (First XI & Subs – Out of 400)		316	Improved on last season
Total Rating (First XI + Subs + Manager) / 420		334	Improved on last season

Rumoured Further Player Sales/Purchases That Could Affect The Ratings Above

• Sales – Thomas Partey, Nicolas Pepe, Nuno Tavares, Folarin Balogun
• Purchases – Mohamed Kudus, Douglas Luiz
• Odds To Win Premier League – 5/1

Can Arsenal Challenge City?

189-198 – The Gunners have made some big strides in the off-season to close the gap on City, but I still feel they are a little short, although that gap is growing smaller each season.

Chelsea

Last Season’s Performances

• Premier League – 12^th
• FA Cup – Third Round
• Football League Cup – Third Round
• European Competition – Champions League – Quarter Finals

Last Season’s Total Games Record

• Games Played – 50
• Won – 16
• Drawn – 12
• Lost – 22

Individual Performances

• Top Goalscorer (all comps) – Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling – 9 goals
• Top Assists (all comps) – Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount – 4 assists

Players Incoming

• Nicolas Jackson – From Villarreal – £30,100,000
• Christopher Nkunku – From RB Leipzig – £52,000,000
• Kendry Paez – From Independiente del Valle – £17,270,000
• Angelo Gabriel – From Santos – Undisclosed
• Alex Matos – From Norwich City – Undisclosed
• Diego Moreira – From Benfica – Undisclosed

Player Departures

• Kai Havertz – To Arsenal – £65,000,000
• Mateo Kovacic – To Manchester City – £30,000,000
• Ruben Loftus Cheek – To AC Milan – £17,180,000
• Mason Mount – To Manchester United – £60,000,000
• Christian Pulisic – To AC Milan – £18,800,000
• Ethan Ampadu – To Leeds United – Undisclosed
• Pierre–Emerick Aubameyang – To Marseille – Free
• Kaliodou Koulibaly – To Al Hilal – Undisclosed
• Eduoard Mendy – To Al Ahli – Undisclosed
• Cesar Azpilicueta – To Atletico Madrid – Free
• N’Golo Kante – To Al-Ittihad – Free
• Baba Rahman – To PAOK Salonika – Free
• Tiemou Bakayoko – Released

Chelsea Team & Manager Rankings

Pos/Role	Name	Rating  (0-20)	Trending
GK	Kepa Arrizabalaga	14	Declining
DMR	Reece James	19	Improving
DC	Thiago Silva	15	Declining
DC	Benoit Badiashile	15	Improving
DML	Ben Chilwell	18	Improving
DMC	Enzo Fernandez	19	Improving
MC	Conor Gallacher	15	Improving
AML	Mihailo Mudryk	15	No Change
AMR	Raheem Sterling	17	No Change
AC	Christopher Nkunku	17	Improving
AC	Nicolas Jackson	16	Improving
Substitutes
SubGk	Marcus Bettinelli	12	Declining
Sub2	Trevor Chalobah	14	No Change
Sub3	Marc Cucurella	15	Declining
Sub4	Wesley Fofana	16	No Change
Sub5	Levi Colwill	14	Improving
Sub6	Carney Chukwumeka	12	Improving
Sub7	Lewis Hall	13	Improving
Sub8	Noni Madueke	13	Improving
Sub9	Armando Broja	14	No Change
Manager
Manager	Mauricio Pochettino	16	Improving
Totals & Trends
Total First XI Rating (out of 220)		180	Improving
Total Squad Rating (First XI & Subs – Out of 400)		303	Declining
Total Rating (First XI + Subs + Manager) / 420		319	Improving

Rumoured Further Player Sales/Purchases That Could Affect The Ratings Above

• Sales – Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech, Trevor Chalobah, Romelu Lukaku
• Purchases – Elye Wahi, Moses Caicedo, Rayan Cherki
• Odds To Win Premier League – 12/1

Can Chelsea Challenge City?

180 – 198 – After all the changes made at Chelsea in the past 12 months or so, a challenge to City is probably too big of an ask, but a push for the Champions League places most definitely is not.

Liverpool

Last Season’s Performances

• Premier League – 5^th
• FA Cup – Fourth Round
• Football League Cup – Fourth Round
• European Competition – Champions League – Round of 16

Last Season’s Total Games Record

• Games Played – 52
• Won – 26
• Drawn – 12
• Lost – 14

Individual Performances

• Top Goalscorer (all comps) – Mo Salah – 30 goals
• Top Assists (all comps) – Mo Salah – 16 assists

Players Incoming

• Carlos Mac Allister – From Brighton – £35,000,000
• Dominik Szoboszlai – From Red Bull Leipzig – £60,000,000

Player Departures

• James Milner – To Brighton – Free
• Naby Keita – To Werder Bremen – Free
• Alex Oxlade Chamberlain – Released
• Roberto Firmino – To Al Ahli – Free

Liverpool Team & Manager Rankings

Pos/Role	Name	Rating  (0-20)	Trending
GK	Alisson	20	No Change
DC	Virgil Van Dijk	18	Declining
DC	Ibrahima Konate	17	Improving
DMC	Stefan Bajcetic	13	Improving
DMR	Trent Alexander Arnold	20	Improving
DML	Andy Robertson	19	No Change
MC	Dominik Szoboszlai	17	Improving
MC	Alexis Mac Allister	17	Improving
AMR	Mo Salah	20	No Change
AML	Luis Diaz	18	No Change
AC	Darwin Nunez	15	Declining
Substitutes
SubGk	Caoimhin Kelleher	14	Improving
Sub2	Joe Gomez	14	Declining
Sub3	Joel Matip	15	Declining
Sub4	Kostas Tsimikas	14	No Change
Sub5	Thiago	15	Declining
Sub6	Curtis Jones	14	Improving
Sub7	Harvey Elliott	15	Improving
Sub8	Cody Gakpo	18	Improving
Sub9	Diogo Jota	17	Improving
Manager
Manager	Jurgen Klopp	20	No Change
Totals & Trends
Total First XI Rating (out of 220)		194	Improved on last season
Total Squad Rating (First XI & Subs – Out of 400)		330	Declined on last season
Total Rating (First XI + Subs + Manager) / 420		350	Improved on last season

Rumoured Further Player Sales/Purchases That Could Affect The Ratings Above

• Sales – Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Joe Gomez, Nat Phillips, Thiago, Caoiminh Kelleher
• Purchases – Romeo Lavia, Kalvin Phillips, Cheick Doucoure, Joshua Kimmich, Gabri Veiga
• Odds To Win Premier League – 8/1

Can Liverpool Challenge City?

194 – 198 – On Paper, Liverpool look likely to be City’s main challengers once again. But it all depends on the midfield changes working for the Reds. If they do, then we could have a real battle between the two.

Manchester United

Last Season’s Performances

• Premier League – 3^rd
• FA Cup – Runners Up
• Football League Cup – Winners
• European Competition – Europa League – Quarter Finals

Last Season’s Total Games Record

• Games Played – 62
• Won – 42
• Drawn – 8
• Lost – 12

Individual Performances

• Top Goalscorer (all comps) – Marcus Rashford – 30 goals
• Top Assists (all comps) – Bruno Fernandes – 13 assists

Players Incoming

• Andre Onana – From Inter Milan – £47,200,000
• Jonny Evans – From Leicester City – Free
• Mason Mount – From Chelsea – £60,000,000

Player Departures

• Alex Telles – To Al-Nassr – £4,000,000
• Charlie Savage – To Reading – Undisclosed
• David de Gea – Released
• Phil Jones – Released
• Axel Tuanzebe – Released

Manchester United Team & Manager Rankings

Pos/Role	Name	Rating  (0-20)	Trending
GK	Andre Onana	15	Improving
DR	Diogo Dalot	16	Improving
DC	Lisandro Martinez	18	Improving
DC	Raphael Varane	16	Declining
DL	Luke Shaw	18	No Change
DMC	Casemiro	20	No Change
MC	Mason Mount	17	No Change
AMC	Bruno Fernandes	19	No Change
AMR	Antony	16	Improving
AML	Jadon Sancho	15	Declining
AC	Marcus Rashford	17	Improving
Substitutes
SubGk	Tom Heaton	10	Declining
Sub2	Victor Lindelof	14	No Change
Sub3	Harry Maguire	13	Declining
Sub4	Tyrell Malacia	13	Improving
Sub5	Aaron Wan Bissaka	14	Improving
Sub6	Christian Eriksen	14	Declining
Sub7	Donny Van de Beek	13	Declining
Sub8	Alejandro Garnacho	13	Improving
Sub9	Anthony Martial	14	Declining
Manager
Manager	Erik Ten Hag	18	Improving
Totals & Trends
Total First XI Rating (out of 220)		186	Improved on last season
Total Squad Rating (First XI & Subs – Out of 400)		304	Improved on last season
Total Rating (First XI + Subs + Manager) / 420		322	Improved on last season

Rumoured Further Player Sales/Purchases That Could Affect The Ratings Above

• Sales – Fred, Anthony Elanga, Dean Henderson, Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay
• Purchases – Rasmus Hjolund, Harry Kane, Randal Kolo Muani
• Odds To Win Premier League – 11/1

Can Manchester United Challenge City?

186 – 198 – At the moment, I still feel United are a couple of top players short of a realistic challenge to City, but some of the names they have been linked with would see that gap close considerably if they can sign one or two of them.

Newcastle United

Last Season’s Performances

• Premier League – 4^th
• FA Cup – Third Round
• Football League Cup – Runners Up
• European Competition – N/A

Last Season’s Total Games Record

• Games Played – 46
• Won – 24
• Drawn – 15
• Lost – 7

Individual Performances

• Top Goalscorer (all comps) – Callum Wilson – 18 goals
• Top Assists (all comps) – Kieran Trippier – 9 assists

Players Incoming

• Sandro Tonali – From AC Milan – £55,000,000
• Harvey Barnes – From Leicester City – £39,000,000

Player Departures

• Chris Wood – To Nottingham Forest – £12,000,000
• Matty Longstaff – Released
• Ciaran Clark – Released
• Jeff Hendrick – To Reading – Loan Eos
• Allen Saint-Maximin – To Al Ahli – £30,000,000

Newcastle United Team & Manager Rankings

Pos/Role	Name	Rating  (0-20)	Trending
GK	Nick Pope	16	Improving
DR	Kieran Trippier	17	No Change
DC	Fabian Schar	14	Improving
DC	Sven Botman	15	Improving
DL	Dan Burn	14	Improving
MC	Bruno Guimaraes	17	Improving
MC	Sandro Tonali	17	Improving
AML	Harvey Barnes	14	Improving
AMR	Joelinton	15	Improving
AC	Callum Wilson	14	No Change
AC	Alexander Isak	15	Improving
Substitutes
SubGk	Martin Dubravka	13	Declining
Sub2	Paul Dummett	11	Declining
Sub3	Jamal Lascalles	12	No Change
Sub4	Jamal Lewis	12	No Change
Sub5	Miguel Almiron	16	Improving
Sub6	Anthony Gordon	14	Improving
Sub7	Sean Longstaff	13	Improving
Sub8	Jacob Murphy	11	Declining
Sub9	Joe Willock	14	Improving
Manager
Manager	Eddie Howe	16	Improving
Totals & Trends
Total First XI Rating (out of 220)		168	Improving from last season
Total Squad Rating (First XI & Subs – Out of 400)		284	Improving from last season
Total Rating (First XI + Subs + Manager) / 420		300	Improving from last season

Rumoured Further Player Sales/Purchases That Could Affect The Ratings Above

• Sales – Isaac Hayden, Jamal Lascalles, Ryan Fraser, Matt Ritchie
• Purchases – Tino Livramento, Ibrahim Adel, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Federico Chiesa
• Odds To Win Premier League – 14/1

Can Newcastle United Challenge City?

168 – 198 – I still feel Newcastle are a good few players away from challenging Manchester City for the title. A Champions League tilt is another good shout, but I think this could be a season of consolidation for the Toon this year.

Tottenham Hotspurs

Last Season’s Performances

• Premier League – 8th
• FA Cup – Fifth Round
• Football League Cup – Third Round
• European Competition – N/A

Last Season’s Total Games Record

• Games Played – 50
• Won – 23
• Drawn – 9
• Lost – 18

Individual Performances

• Top Goalscorer (all comps) – Harry Kane – 32 goals
• Top Assists (all comps) – Ivan Perisic – 12 assists

Players Incoming

• Dejan Kulusevski – From Juventus – £25,600,000
• James Maddison – From Leicester City – £40,000,000
• Guglielmo Vicario – From Empoli – £17,200,000
• Manor Solomon – From Shakhtar Donetsk – Free

Player Departures

• Harry Winks – To Leicester City – £10,000,000
• Lucas Moura – Released

Tottenham Hotspur Team & Manager Rankings

Pos/Role	Name	Rating  (0-20)	Trending
GK	Guigielmo Vicario	15	Improving
DR	Pedro Porro	15	Improving
DC	Eric Dier	15	Declining
DC	Cristian Romero	16	No Change
DL	Ivan Perisic	15	Declining
DMC	Rodrigo Betancur	15	Improving
MC	Oliver Skipp	14	Improving
AML	Son Hyeung-min	17	Declining
AMR	Dejan Kulusevski	16	No Change
AMC	James Maddison	17	Improving
AC	Harry Kane	20	No Change
Substitutes
SubGk	Fraser Forster	11	No Change
Sub2	Davinson Sanchez	12	Declining
Sub3	Emerson Royal	12	Declining
Sub4	Ben Davies	13	Declining
Sub5	Pierre Emil-Hojbjerg	15	No Change
Sub6	Giovani Lo Celso	14	No Change
Sub7	Yves Bissouma	13	No Change
Sub8	Richarlison	17	No Change
Sub9	Manor Solomon	14	Improving
Manager
Manager	Ange Postecoglou	14	Improving
Totals & Trends
Total First XI Rating (out of 220)		175	Improved from last season
Total Squad Rating (First XI & Subs – Out of 400)		296	Improved from last season
Total Rating (First XI + Subs + Manager) / 420		310	Improved from last season

Rumoured Further Player Sales/Purchases That Could Affect The Ratings Above

• Sales – Harry Kane, Pierre-Emil Hojbjerg, Giovani Lo Celso
• Purchases – Dusan Vlahovic, Ivan Toney, Micky Van de Ven, Edmond Tapsoba
• Odds To Win Premier League – 40/1

Can Tottenham Challenge City?

175 – 198 – Ange Postecoglou has a lot to do to make this squad realistic challengers to City. That is even more the case if Harry Kane leaves the club. The best Spurs can hope for is a shot at the top four in my view.