Meet the opposition | Manchester City
As Swansea City prepare to host Manchester City in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, we take a closer look at Pep Guardiola’s Citizens.
What’s their story?
City have been the dominant force in English football over much of the last decade and – after seeing Liverpool take the title from them last term – they have made a solid start to the new campaign.
They have won 18 major honours during Pep Guardiola’s tenure as manager, including a treble during the 2022-23 season when they secured the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
That astonishing run of success has capped a resurgence in the wake of a period where one of English football's most successful clubs dropped down to the third tier in the mid-1990s, with a dramatic play-off win over Gillingham marking a turning point.
How’s their form?
City lost to Aston Villa in the Premier League at the weekend, but prior to that they had gone nine games without defeat in all competitions.
A 2-0 win at Huddersfield Town booked their place in the fourth round of the League Cup.
Who’s the boss?
Pep Guardiola. Joining the club in July 2016, the Catalan has enjoyed no shortage of success during his time at the Etihad.
A classy and diligent midfielder during his playing days, Guardiola came through the ranks at Barcelona's La Masia and went on to become a pivotal figure in Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ that won a number of major honours in the early to mid-90s.
Returning to manage the Catalan giants in 2008, he became the first manager to guide the club to a treble-winning season in only his first year in charge and would win a remarkable 14 trophies in his four seasons at the helm.
Moving on to German club Bayern Munich in 2013 - following a year out of management - he made history by winning the title in the quickest time in Bundesliga history, with seven matches remaining in the campaign. There were three league titles and two German cup triumphs before he made the move to the Etihad.
There have been 18 pieces of silverware since, including six league titles and that Champions League triumph over Inter Milan in 2023.
Who’s the captain?
Bernardo Silva is City's club captain having been given the role during the summer by Pep Guardiola.
The Portugal international has been with City since 2017, having joined from French side Monaco.
He has been an integral part of their success over the intervening period, with his guile, energy and composure in possession making him an ideal fit for the Manchester club's brand of football. He has 74 goals in 419 appearances.
Having come through the ranks at Benfica, Bernardo stepped up to senior level but made a full-time move to Monaco following a bright loan spell during the 2014-15 season.
He made his Portugal debut in 2015, and has helped them to Nations League success in 2019 and 2025.
Who are the key men?
Striker Erling Haaland has started the new season in formidable form, and has a quite incredible strike rate since joining City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.
City won the treble in his first season and he has amassed a remarkable 139 goals in 160 appearances in all competitions.
The son of former City midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland, the Norwegian started his career in his homeland with Bryne and Molde.
His rise to prominence started in earnest when he joined Red Bull Salzburg and scored 17 goals in just 16 league outings before joining Dortmund in January 2020.
His outstanding form led City to pay a reported £51.2million fee to bring him to the Etihad and the goals have continued to flow.
Belgium winger Jeremy Doku has been another player to start the new campaign in strong form for City.
The speedster joined City from Rennes in 2023 and has developed into a key player with his raw pace now allied to a greater poise in the final third.
Doku first emerged at Anderlecht, making his senior bow at the age of 16 in 2018, before making the move to France with Rennes in 2020.
He initially struggled with injuries, but recovered to make a number of eye-catching contributions, and his move to City duly followed.
Doku is also a vital figure for the Belgium national side, and has won 37 caps so far.
Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol is now in his third season with City, having joined them from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023.
The centre-back or left-back came through the ranks at Dinamo Zagreb, making his senior debut in 2019 and going on to win two league titles, two Croatian cups and one Croatian Super Cup before making the switch to Germany.
Leipzig won the DFB-Pokal in 2022 - retaining it in 2023 - and Gvardiol went on to start in Croatia's run to the World Cup semi-finals later that same year before joining City.
He has 44 caps to his name in total.
