Former Arsenal and England midfielder Paul Merson is backing Manchester City to retain their Premier League title this forthcoming season - but has warned that they may regret allowing Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus to leave the club.
City, who will get their pre-season schedule under way on Thursday, facing Club America in Houston, secured their second consecutive title in dramatic fashion last term, beating Aston Villa 3-2 on the final day of the season.
The two sides are already being tipped to battle it out in pursuit of the title once again this forthcoming season, with both clubs having added big-name strikers to their ranks.
City have signed Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund while Liverpool have invested heavily in Uruguayan ace Darwin Nunez. READ MORE: Nathan Ake call enhances Man City reputation in the transfer market However, both clubs have lost big sources of goals, with City saying farewell to Sterling and Jesus while Liverpool have allowed Sadio Mane to join Bayern Munich.