Man City set to face sister side Palermo in Sicily during pre-season with inaugural Anglo Palermitan Trophy on offer for Premier League giants

Manchester City will have the chance to win silverware before the 2025-26 season has even begun after the announcement of a brand new trophy.

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• Man City book pre-season game
• Special trophy on offer in Palermo
• No time for any other friendlies

• Table of Contents

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  A week before their Premier League campaign gets underway against Wolves, Manchester City will travel to Sicily for what is the only pre-season friendly on their calendar. Palermo are the opponents on August 9 at Renzo Barbera Stadium. The winner will lift the Anglo Palermitan Trophy.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Palermo are part of the wider City Football Group, joining the family in 2022. The Serie B club is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and the Anglo Palermitan Trophy is intended as a tribute to their first ever match, which was played against a group of British sailors in 1900. City are an obvious choice as the invited guest, and have played other CFG members over the years: Melbourne City, Yokohama F. Marinos and Girona.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Having been involved in the FIFA Club World Cup, City appear to have largely sacrificed a pre-season tour. Although Pep Guardiola's side were eliminated surprisingly early, failing to even reach the quarter-finals, they could feasibly have been involved until July 13, barely a month before the Premier League starts again. As it was, their last game was on June 30, which still leaves precious little time to rest and recover.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?

  City players are expected to report for pre-season on July 28. That date is 12 days before they are in action in Palermo, but only four weeks after their marathon 2024-25 season finally ended.