German international IlkayGundogan hit as a second brace for Manchester City as they ended their preseason in style by thrashing newly promoted English Championship club Blackpool 4-1.

Blackpool secured promotion to the Championship via the League One playoffs at the end of last season and they were could not handle a vibrant Manchester City who clearly had more qualities and rightfully won the game.

Manchester Cityhad an unblemished record in preseason before they met the Tangerines on Tuesday and they were able to maintain that perfect record.

Manchester City are the form team in world football at the moment following their recent winning run. The victory run is dated back to December 2020, when they were forced to a 1-1 draw at home to Premier League strugglers West Brom in what was a shock result at the time. Since then, Manchester City have won 21 games in a row in all competitions to set a new record in English football. They are still five games away from matching the European record set by Dutch Eredivisie giants Ajax Amsterdam in the 70s. Manchester City will need six wins on the trot to break the five-decade record from Ajax Amsterdam.

Premier League side Manchester City were prepared to receive the best player in the world Lionel Messi this summer. However, latest reports hint that Messi will see out his contract at the club. The 33-year old joining City would have intimidated rivals and pushed up their morale in the Champions League. With the partnership of Messi and Kevin de Bruyne in the middle, A