Guardiola faces former assistant Maresca as Man City starts title defense at Chelsea

LONDON (AP) — 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.