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• Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City

  Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.

  The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.

  The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.

  There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.

  Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.

  “Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.  

  “That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.

  “Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.  

  “I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.  

  “Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”

   

  Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.

  That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.

  He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.

• McKenna fired up for 'biggest game in world football' against Man United

  Kieran McKenna believes Ipswich Town's Premier League clash with Manchester United will be the "biggest game in world football" this weekend.

  United are in action under new manager Ruben Amorim for the first time since the Portuguese officially replaced Arne Slot as head coach.

  While plenty of focus is on the visitors at Portman Road, Ipswich are fired up after beating Tottenham 2-1 before the international break.

  That was Ipswich's first league win of the season – and their first in the Premier League in 22 years – and now attention turns to facing United.

  McKenna, who previously coached United, said at a fan event this week: "Sunday, what a game. It's one we're really, really looking forward to.

  "Not for the personal connection, but as manager of Ipswich Town, to be on that stage, it's what we've worked so hard for.

  "It's the biggest game in world football anywhere this weekend, the biggest game in the world in the biggest sport in the world and it's at Portman Road."

  Ipswich's surprise win at Tottenham last time out moved them up to 17th, while United are 13th after beating Leicester City 3-0 in Ruud van Nistelrooy's final game in caretaker charge.

  Amorim took his first training session on Monday, albeit with many first-team stars away on international duty, and the former Sporting CP boss believes his style of play will be clear to see from the off. 

  "I think you will see an idea," he told the club's website. "You could like it or not, I don't know, but you will see an idea. 
   
  "You will see a positioning. You will see something that we want to reach that kind of level. You will feel that. 
   
  "We have to know it's [only] two trainings before the first match. This is the best league in the world. But if I have to say something to you, [it's that] you will see an idea. This I can guarantee."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Ipswich Town - Liam Delap

  Delap scored what proved to be Ipswich's winner against Tottenham and has now netted six of his side's 12 Premier League goals this term.

  That makes the Manchester City academy product one of only three players to have scored at least half of his side's goals in the competition this season, along with Erling Haaland at City (55%) and Chris Wood at Nottingham Forest (53%).

  Manchester United - Alejandro Garnacho

  Garnacho was among the scorers against Leicester two weeks ago and has now been directly involved in 20 Premier League goals for United (13 goals and seven assists).

  The Argentina international is one of only two non-British players to reach that figure for United before turning 21, along with Cristiano Ronaldo (25 goals).

  MATCH PREDICTION: MANCHESTER UNITED WIN

  Ipswich are seeking back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since February 2022, with that run also beginning with a 2-1 victory against Tottenham.

  The Tractor Boys are the only side in the competition without a home win this season. Only five newly promoted clubs have failed to win any of their first six home matches, all of whom went back down.

  United have won 17 of their past 19 Premier League games against newly promoted opponents, meanwhile, including nine wins in a row in away fixtures.

  The Red Devils were 1-0 winners on their most recent league trip to Portman Road in April 2022, but only once have they won successive league games away to Ipswich.

  However, the Tractor Boys have lost four of their past five league matches against Man United, failing to score in each of those losses.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Ipswich Town - 22.2%

  Draw - 23%

  Manchester United - 54.8%

• Bayern focusing only on Augsburg amid busy schedule – Kompany

  Bayern Munich are only focusing on Friday's Bundesliga game against Augsburg amid a crowded match schedule in the next 11 days, head coach Vincent has said.

  The league leaders will be without midfielder Joao Palhinha and forward Mathys Tel, who picked up injuries on international duty with Portugal and France respectively, while goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is nursing a ribcage injury and is racing to be fit.

  Bayern have a busy schedule coming up after facing Augsburg, with a Champions League game at home to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday before the trip to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga in just over a week.

  They cap off their 11-day four-match run with the DFB-Pokal last-16 clash at home to holders Bayer Leverkusen on 3 December.

  "We are missing Palhinha and Mathys Tel also got a knock while with the national team," Kompany told a press conference on Thursday. "The one fear we have as coach is for players to leave and come back injured.

  "We are playing against Augsburg. It is important that it is only about the next game. We want to deliver the performance as we did before the international break. It is only about Augsburg and only this step is important for me today."

  Kompany is in his first season in charge but knows expectations are high, and the team must remain contenders in all three competitions going into the new year.

  "We're satisfied with the season we've played so far in all competitions despite the two defeats in the Champions League," said Bayern sports director Max Eberl, referring to their 1-0 defeat away to Aston Villa and 4-1 loss at Barcelona.

  "It is a new format and we're still getting to know it," he added, with Bayern down in 17th place in the play-off spots.

  "We have PSG which is a special game, Leverkusen in the Cup and Dortmund in the league. We want to start and win every single game. That is our starting point."

  Leverkusen won their first domestic double last term but Bayern, desperate to restore their national dominance, are undefeated in the Bundesliga and have quickly carved out a five-point lead at the top over second-placed RB Leipzig.

  The Bavarians have 26 points, with Leverkusen, who host Heidenheim on Saturday, nine behind in fourth. Dortmund welcome Freiburg, having dropped to seventh spot on 16 points, while Leipzig travel to Hoffenheim.