Palermo v City: Anglo Palermitan Trophy scouting report | OneFootball

Everything you need to know about our opponents in the inaugural Anglo Palermitan Trophy this August…

We head to Palermo for our final game before the 2025/26 season begins, kicking off at 20:00 (UK) on Saturday 9 August.

The match will be available to watch live and in full on mancity.com and our official app for CITY+ subscribers.

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Pep Guardiola will be using the match to refine his plans ahead of the start of the Premier League the following week.

Ahead of the encounter, find out what to expect at the Renzo Barbera Stadium.

2024/25 form

Palermo finished the 2024/25 Serie B season in eighth place, which is the final play-off spot.

That came from 14 victories, 10 draws and 14 losses in a 38-game season.

Their promotion ambitions didn’t last long in the complex play-off process, with Juve Stabia beating them 1-0.

Palermo came up against eventual Serie A champions Napoli in the second round of the Coppa Italia, losing 5-0 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Manager

Iconic striker Filippo Inzaghi has been appointed as the new manager this summer to a great fanfare in Sicily.

Inzaghi made a name for himself as one of the greatest finishers of his generation during his playing days, scoring 288 goals in 623 professional appearances including four seasons at Juventus and 11 at AC Milan.

Since retiring, he’s taken several jobs in the top three tiers of Italian football with the likes of Milan, Bologna and Venezia.

Last season he guided Pisa to promotion from Serie B before making the move to Sicily.

Key players

Captain Matteo Brunori was last season’s joint-top scorer with nine goals, alongside Finnish international Joel Pahjanpalo who only arrived from Venezia in February after a spectacular spell there.

A name City fans will recognise is defensive midfielder Claudio Gomes. The 25-year-old was at the Club from 2018 to 2022 before making the move to Sicily.

The full internationals throughout the squad include Senegal goalkeeper Alfred Gomis, USA full-back Kristoffer Lund and Polish centre-back Patryk Peda.

Fans

Palermo fans are known for their loud and loyal support, giving them one of the best atmospheres in Italian football.

With a capacity of just over 36,000, the Renzo Barbera Stadium is expected to be full and excited about the prospect of taking on City.

As one of Sicily’s leading clubs, support for Palermo is often closely associated with a strong sense of identity and pride in the island itself.

Many Sicilian immigrants to mainland Italy continue to support the club after moving, while some Palermo fans based in Germany even started their own club in honour of their team back home, named FC Rosaneri.

History

For football fans outside of Italy, most memories of Palermo come from a golden patch in the 2000s when the likes of Luca Toni, Edinson Cavani and Javier Pastore were making a name for themselves.

However, the club is celebrating 125 years since inception having been formed in 1900 with the influence of English shipyard workers and professionals.

Since then, they’ve moved up and down the Italian football pyramid and been fervently supported throughout.