Man City opens title defense at Chelsea as Guardiola comes up against former assistant Maresca

LONDON — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will come up against a familiar face in his team’s opening match of its Premier League title defense.

City will start the season away at Chelsea, whose new manager is Enzo Maresca - an assistant to Guardiola at City in the 2022-23 season.

It’s part of a tough start for City, which also hosts Arsenal and visits Newcastle away in the opening six games as the team begins its bid for a record-extending fifth straight English top-flight title.

The season will kick off on Aug. 16 when Manchester United hosts Fulham.

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