K League All-Stars vs Manchester City Preview - prediction, team news, lineups | Pre-Season Friendly

Manchester City continue their pre-season tour of Asia with a clash against the K League All-Stars in Seoul.

Manchester City continue their preparations for the 2026-27 campaign when they face the K League All-Stars at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday. The Premier League side are looking to build fitness under new head coach Enzo Maresca. Meanwhile, the K League All-Stars will be eager to test themselves against one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

City head into the contest after beginning their Asian tour with a pre-season fixture against Inter Milan before travelling to South Korea. Meanwhile, the K League All-Stars earned a notable 1-0 victory over Newcastle United in their previous exhibition match. They will be aiming for another impressive result in front of their home supporters.

Although the result is secondary during pre-season, the fixture gives both teams another opportunity to evaluate their squads. Manchester City are expected to rotate once again. Meanwhile, the K League All-Stars will field a selection of the Korean top flight’s standout performers.

Kick-off Details

• Competition: Pre-season Friendly
• Date: Wednesday, August 5, 2026
• Time: 7:00 AM ET / 12:00 PM BST / 4:30 PM IST
• Venue: Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea
• Referee: TBD
• VAR: Not in use

Form

K League All-Stars: W

Manchester City: D-L-W-W-D

Players to watch out for

Cesinha (K League All-Stars)

The experienced Brazilian remains one of the K League’s most influential attackers. During the 2025 K League 1 season, Cesinha registered 12 goals and 12 assists, finishing among the league’s top scorers and joint-leading assist providers. His creativity, set-piece quality and ability to unlock defences make him the biggest attacking threat for the K League All-Stars.

Phil Foden (Manchester City)

Phil Foden is expected to be Manchester City’s creative focal point against the K League All-Stars. The England international registered 12 goal contributions with seven goals and five assists in 33 Premier League appearances during the 2025-26 season. With several senior players still easing back after the FIFA World Cup, Foden will be one of City’s key attacking outlets in Seoul.

Match Facts

• This will be the first meeting between the K League All-Stars and Manchester City.
• The K League All-Stars defeated Newcastle United 1-0 in their previous exhibition fixture.
• Manchester City are continuing their pre-season tour of Asia under new head coach Enzo Maresca.
• The match will be played at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
• Several Manchester City players are still returning after the FIFA World Cup, meaning further squad rotation is expected.

Betting tips & odds

• Tip 1: Manchester City to win – with bet365
• Tip 2: Alejandro Garnacho to score or assist – with bet365
• Tip 3: Goals scored over 2.5 – with bet365

Injury & team news

The K League All-Stars are expected to have a fully fit squad available for the friendly against Manchester City, with no major injury concerns reported ahead of the match. The selected squad features several of the K League’s standout performers, including Cho Hyeon-woo, Kim Young-gwon, Cesinha, Mota and Bojanic. Meanwhile, the team will once again be led by head coach Kim Pan-gon after the All-Stars’ 1-0 victory over Newcastle United last summer.

Manchester City will be without Ryan McAidoo for the friendly after the 18-year-old winger picked up a minor shoulder injury in the 1-1 draw against Inter Milan in Hong Kong. McAidoo had impressed during his cameo in that match, but head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed the injury is “nothing important” and ruled him out of the clash against the K League All-Stars. City are otherwise expected to continue rotating their squad as they build fitness during the Asia tour.

Head-to-head stats

This will be the first-ever meeting between Manchester City and the K League All-Stars.

The Korean select side have previously faced several leading European clubs, including Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus, Atlético Madrid and Newcastle United. They will be aiming to register consecutive victories after defeating Newcastle 1-0 in their most recent All-Stars fixture in July 2025.

Predicted lineups

K League All-Stars (4-3-3)

Cho Hyeon-woo; Kim Tae-hwan, Kim Young-gwon, Park Jin-seop, Kim Joo-sung; Ki Sung-yueng, Lee Soon-min, Bojanic; Erick Farias, Cesinha, Mota.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1)

Gianluigi Donnarumma; Rico Lewis, Abdukodir Khusanov, Joško Gvardiol, Mfuni; Mateo Kovačić, Tijjani Reijnders; Savinho, Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo; Divin Mubama.

Match Prediction

Manchester City possess significantly greater squad depth and quality, even with several World Cup players unavailable. The K League All-Stars have enough attacking talent to trouble City’s defence. But the Premier League side’s technical superiority and attacking options should prove decisive over 90 minutes.

Prediction: K League All-Stars 1-3 Manchester City.

Telecast Details

Fans can watch the pre-season friendly live on CITY+ via the official Manchester City website and the Man City app. Broadcast availability in other territories will depend on local rights holders.

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