Fulham provide the opposition in this Barclays u21 Premier League clash at Hyde FC’s Ewen Fields at 1pm.
Vieira started work in July and in an exclusive interview with City TV released this week, he revealed just how excited he is to be in charge of City’s u21 selection.
“Since I found out that I would be in charge of the EDS, I have been really pleased and since we started training on 4 July, everything has been perfect,” he said.
“I have an exciting group who want to work really hard and work well. So, for me and for the rest of my staff, it is fantastic.
...Patrick Vieira...
“If you would have asked me at the start of my career if I wanted to go on to be a manager, I would have said no. But over the years, I grew up and I spent the last two years at a football club, going through every department and spending time at the academy.
“I started to fall in love with coaching. I feel like I can transfer my knowledge to the players. I completed my ‘B’ licence; then my ‘A’ licence and now I have an understanding of what is required to make a good manager. I feel very comfortable with it.
“Of course, I still need to learn a lot. I still need to get used to the role but so far, so good. I love it. I have a wonderful team around me and I’m really enjoying it so far.”
The Premier League has announced a change to the format of the competition for 2013/14.
Rather than the complicated two phase, three-tiered system which was used last time, City will now play each of the 21 other eligible teams just once, either home or away, in one-off fixtures which will run from August to the first week of April.
There will then be a knockout tournament at the end of April between the top four teams.
The team which finishes first will play fourth, leaving second to take on third in two semi-finals before the grand final which caps off the season.
Last season’s top-scorer Jose Angel Pozo will miss the start of the season with the ankle injury sustained against Newcastle in April.
In better news, City can call upon the services of Jordy Hiwula, Kieran Kennedy, George Swan and Harry Bunn who have all returned this summer after lengthy lay-offs.
Alex Henshall, Eirik Johansen and Adam Drury are all back in the ranks after loan spells at the end of last season, while Academy Player of the Year Marcos Lopes is back in Manchester after his exploits with Portugal u19s at the Euros this summer.
Fulham rounded off their pre-season preparations with a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.
They are managed by former Blue Kit Symons and finished third in Phase 2 of the Premier League last season.
We’ll have live match updates from this 1pm kick-off on Twitter, as well as a match report and post-match reaction here on the site.
The postcode at Hyde FC is SK14 2SB and there is parking available on the street next to the ground and at the leisure centre next door to the stadium.
Entry is £3 for adults, £1 for children.
