Maresca warns Manchester City that Sunderland pose toughest test of the season

Enzo Maresca has singled out Sunderland as the sternest test Manchester City have faced this season, warning that his side will need to be “100 per cent” to win Sunday’s Premier League fixture at the Etihad Stadium.

The Chelsea head coach made ten changes for Thursday’s 5-0 Carabao Cup thrashing of Championship side Norwich, resting key figures including Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Antoine Semenyo, Iliman Ndiaye, Enzo Fernandez, and Elliot Anderson were also named among the substitutes. In their absence, 17-year-old Floyd Samba marked his debut with two goals, while several fringe players pushed their case for more regular involvement.

Maresca is expected to recall his first-choice names against Sunderland, and he made clear why he believes the full squad will be needed. “I have the feeling that the Sunderland game will be the toughest game since we started the season,” he said. “I watched three or four games in the last few days, I know how strong they are and I feel that on Sunday we need a top performance to beat them.”

The City manager was particularly impressed by Sunderland’s recent display against Arsenal, a game he watched live before reviewing it again on video. “You can see how strong they are. I think personally they didn’t deserve to lose that game,” he said. “They are very strong, very well coached by their manager, and they already have time together so you can see what they want to do on and off the ball.”

City head into the match with a perfect 12 points from four Premier League games, a run that included last week’s derby win over Manchester United — achieved with ten men for 70 of the 90 minutes. Maresca is keen to close out this opening block of fixtures on a high before a three-week international break.

“We gave rest to the ones that played back-to-back 90 minutes against Porto and United,” he explained. “It was important for them to give them rest and hopefully they can be full of energy for Sunday’s game that will be a strong game.”

Sunderland arrive at the Etihad as one of the Premier League’s early surprise packages, and Maresca’s unusually candid praise for the visitors underlines the respect he has developed for Régis Le Bris’s side after his scouting work this week.