Haaland is fit for Villa Park
Erling Haaland is fit to lead the line at Aston Villa, kick-off 13:30 CEST (4). Johan Manzambi is a late fitness test for Villa (4).
City go to Villa Park top of the table on 21 points from seven games, with a +12 goal difference after a 5–1 win over AEK Athens on Tuesday (4). The last away trip was Liverpool 0–3 City on October 11.
When the appeal verdict lands
The Times reporter Martyn Ziegler puts the sanction around mid-January. "Vi tror att deras överklagandeprocess kommer att äga rum inom tolv veckor, och när överklagandet är avslutat har man 30 dagar på sig att meddela ett beslut," he says, which takes it to somewhere around the middle of January (1).
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Lawyer James Severn is not buying that timeline. The Pennington Manches Cooper partner told The I Paper the final verdict "could take a very long time" and is unlikely to be decided before the end of January (2). Two experts, two answers. City are still waiting.
Barcelona circling Cavan Sullivan
City have a pre-agreement for Cavan Sullivan, the 17-year-old at Philadelphia Union, and Barcelona want to take him anyway (3). PSG and Real Madrid are named alongside Barça in the race (3).
Dan Segal, speaking about the deal: "Il est vrai qu'il existe un accord préliminaire avec eux concernant Sullivan, mais on ne sait jamais ce qui peut arriver" (3). A pre-agreement, in other words. Not a signature.
Brighton and Leipzig next
Villa away on Saturday, then Brighton & Hove Albion at home on October 31 at 16:00 CET (4). The Champions League trip to RB Leipzig comes on November 4 at 21:00 CET.
Fan reactions
The mood on r/MCFC is defiant about the charges. The top talking point from one thread is that the owners have only invested in their business, and that City have become the convenient whipping boys for clubs who have failed both on and off the pitch. Read the thread here.
