Manchester City 1 AC Milan 0           Boj Attack floors Milan
Saturday 9th August 2008 : Get Your Kits out at the COMSTAD
            
                                                                   Action from today's game

Valeri Bojinov continued to impress on his return from a near 12-month lay-off as he netted the only goal against Italian giants AC Milan at Eastlands.

The Bulgarian, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Manchester derby last August, latched onto a Michael Ball throw-in to lash a left-footed shot in off the woodwork.

City's England players were keen to impress with Fabio Capello in attendance and goalkeeper Joe Hart saved well early on from teenage Milan striker Alberto Paloschi.

The Blues had a handball penalty shout turned down after Darius Vassell's cross was charged down and Brazilian playmaker Elano wasted a good chance to score before Bojinov obliged.

The win was a small measure of revenge for Mark Hughes' side, who had lost out to the Rossoneri in the race to sign Brazilian star Ronaldinho earlier in the summer.

City: 
Hart, Richards (Hamann 66), Ball (Dunne 63), Onuoha, Ben Haim, Garrido (Etuhu 63), Fernandes, Johnson, Elano (Ireland 86), Vassell (Evans 75), Bojinov (h-t Sturridge).

unused subs: Schmeichel, Caicedo, Castillo.

AC Milan: 
Dida, Maldini, Zambrotta, Jankulovski (Oddo h-t), Ambrosini, Gattuso (Brocchi 70), Seedorf, Bonera, Flamini, Paloschi (Viudez h-t), Pirlo.

unused subs: Abbiati, Simic, Favalli, Antonini, Kalac, Cardacio.

Referee: Mark Halsey
 

Glasgow Celtic 1 Manchester City 1   
Wednesday 6th August 2008 : Stuart McCall for GYKO at Parkhead

Celtic finalised their Clydesdale Bank Premier League preparations with a 1-1 draw against Manchester City in their friendly encounter at Parkhead.

Martin Petrov's 54th-minute strike gave City a deserved lead before youngster Paul McGowan equalised with 10 minutes remaining with his first goal for the first team.

McGowan missed the chance to become the hero when he hit the bar from 10 yards out in the final seconds as Celtic pressed for the winner.

The Parkhead side will unfurl their Clydesdale Bank Premier League championship flag when they start their season against St Mirren on Sunday and although boss Gordon Strachan will field a stronger team than the one that finished the match, McGowan may have played himself in to contention.

Strachan gave surprise starts to out-of-favour duo Thomas Gravesen and Derek Riordan and fielded an unusual centre-back pairing of Scott Cuthbert and Darren O'Dea with McGowan appearing in midfield.

Neither Gravesen nor Riordan did themselves any favours in a low-key first period in which the visitors edged, certainly in terms of possession.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, as skipper in the absence of Stephen McManus, played the lone striker's role for the Scottish champions who struggled to get going.

City did their best to entertain the sparse crowd but Valeri Bojinov's header from a Petrov corner after 22 minutes, which flew over the bar, was almost the first effort on goal.

Moments later, Petrov, who was finding acres of space on the left-hand side, cut inside and drilled a right-footed shot past Artur Boruc's left-hand post.

Gravesen was left inside at the break, replaced by Paul Caddis with former City striker Georgios Samaras on for Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Minutes after the restart Boruc had to rush from his goal to prevent Darius Vassell knocking the ball past him from close range but the Poland international had little chance in the 54th minute when Petrov ran on to a carefully-weighted pass from substitute Daniel Sturridge and drove home from 16 yards out.

Two minutes later, Boruc blocked another effort from the lively Vassell, the Celtic keeper recovering to collect the ball before it rolled over the line.

In the 66th minute debutant Paddy McCourt, on for Riordan, flashed a volley wide of the target from 10 yards out after he had latched on to a deep Caddis cross.

City, however, remained in control of the game, moving with more ease than the home side who, due to changes made, had a youthful look about them.

However, with 10 minutes left, the increasingly enthusiastic Celtic side equalised through McGowan who bundled the ball in from close range following a Caddis free-kick from wide on the right.

There was still time for Boruc to block a drive from City substitute Ched Evans and McGowan to blast the ball at the bar and over as both sides played out the final few moments with a fair amount of enthusiasm.

CELTIC (4-4-2): Boruc; Hinkel, Cuthbert, O’Dea, Naylor; Gravesen (Caddis 46), Hartley (Millar 62), Donati, Riordan (McCourt 62); Vennegoor of Hesselink (Samaras 46), McGowan
Subs not used: Brown, Caldwell, Conroy, McDonald

MAN CITY (4-4-2) Hart (Schmeichel 46); Corluka (Onuha 46), Richards (Ben Haim 46), Dunne, Garrido; Johnson, Petrov, Fernandes, Etuhu (Ireland 74); Vassell (Evans 76), Bojinov (Sturridge 46)
Subs not used: Ball
 

Stockport County 2 Manchester City 2  Late Late Show
Saturday 2nd August 2008 : James Pearson at Edgeley Park for get Your Kits Out

Manchester City twice fought back from a goal down to earn a 2-2 draw with Stockport in a pre-season friendly at Edgeley Park.

Anthony Pilkington put County ahead in the 65th minute when he slotted the ball past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel from close range after neat build-up play.

Mark Hughes' side equalised 12 minutes later when Valeri Bojinov headed a home a Nedum Onuoha cross from the left.

Peter Thompson looked like he had given his side victory when he smashed the ball into the net from six yards out in the 86th minute but Ched Evans was brought down inside the penalty area in injury-time.

The Wales international, a 57th-minute replacement for Rolando Bianchi, dusted himself down and sent goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams the wrong way from the resulting spot-kick.

Stockport:
Williams, Mullins, Rose, Owen, McNulty, Dicker, Thompson (McSweeney 90), Baker (Pilkington 46), Rowe, Raynes, Gleeson.

unused subs: Rigby, McNeil, Vicent, Tunnicliffe.

City:
Schmeichel, Onuoha, Ben Haim (Mee 57), Garrido (Williamson 80), Logan, Hamann, Ireland, Castillo (Sturridge 57), Caicedo (Bojinov 73), Bianchi (Evans 57), Weiss (Fernandes 66).

unused subs: Hart, Elano.

Goals: 1-0 Pilkington 65, 1-1 Bojinov 77, 2-1 Thompson 86, 2-2 Evans (pen) 90

Bookings:

Stockport: Mullins 20     

Referee: K.G. Evans                       Att: 6,684

26/07/2008: Hamburg 1 - 0 Manchester City
 

Felipe Caicedo gets his first start for City

Manchester City's preparations for their UEFA Cup qualifier were dealt a blow after they suffered a one-goal defeat to an impressive Hamburg side.

Midfielder Jonathan Pitroipa scored the only goal of the game after he took control of a loose ball in the box and slotted it past City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Pitroipa proved to be a constant threat to the City defence and the Burkino Faso international could have doubled the German side's lead six minutes later but he failed to take advantage of a mistake by City captain Richard Dunne.

Mark Hughes' side came out stronger in the second half but failed to take their chances. Martin Petrov came closest for the visitors but his left-foot shot from the edge of the penalty area sneaked past the post.

Kasper Schmeichel put in an impressive performance after coming on to replace Hart at half-time. The Dane pulled off good saves to deny Nigel de Jong and Anis Ben-Hatira.

City face Faroe Islands side EB/Streymur in the second leg of their UEFA Cup first qualifying round tie at Barnsley's Oakwell ground on Thursday.          Click here to see the goal

Hamburg SV: Rost, Atouba, Reinhardt, Mathijsen, de Jong, Olic, Jarolim, Trochowski, Boateng, Pirroipa, van der Vaart.
Unused subs: Hesl, Zidan, Guerrero, Kompany, Putsilo, Christantus, Demel, Stepanek, Benjamin, Ben-Hatira, Sam, Torun, Aogo.

Scorer:
Jonathan Pitroipa - 16 minutes

City: Hart (Schmeichel h-t), Corluka (Onuoha 70), Richards, Dunne, Ball, Ireland (Etuhu 65), Fernandes (Hamann 77), Petrov, Vassell (Sturridge 80), Elano, Caicedo (Evans 65).
Unused subs: Logan, Castillo.
Crowd:
32,000