What a surprise. Man City are fighting on multiple fronts heading into the final stretch of the season.
Despite the addition of top scorer Erling Haaland, it hasn’t been easy for Pep Guardiola’s side this season. However, they are still well positioned to enjoy an incredibly productive campaign.
Their sometimes faltering form means they are hunters in the Premier League title race for the first time in a while. They are five points behind leaders Arsenal with 11 games remaining. Guardiola also has the FA Cup – a competition he won once – and the Champions League – the trophy that eluded him in Manchester – but he’s certainly blessed with a squad deep enough to compete successfully on multiple fronts.
This is what City’s schedule looks like after defeating Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
This is an FA Cup fifth-round fixture full of narrative as Vincent Kompany returns to the FA for the first time as a manager. Belgium’s Burnley are poised to return to the Premier League as Championship winners next season, and this will be an interesting metric to see where the Clarets are.
Everyone expects City to progress, but Kompany’s new look might surprise some Burnley even if they don’t cause upset.
The Nationals will not be playing in the Premier League again until the start of April thanks to the March international holiday. Oh God, we didn’t miss those.
However, the Premier League returns in a big way as the two great sides of modern Premier League history collide at the Etihad. Liverpool’s problems in this term mean they are not fighting for the title, but getting into the top four is within reach.
The Reds have been hugely inconsistent, and may well be saving their best for Guardiola’s side.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints often caused the town a little grief, and even Nathan Jones scored a hit against the Nationals during his disastrous tenure.
There is just something about St. Mary’s that doesn’t quite fit the heroes. However, they cannot afford to lose points in a competition like this given Arsenal’s current form.
Leicester’s effectiveness in the counter-attack last year was causing Guardiola migraine after migraine. There were times when the foxes simply blew up the city in transition.
However, this is not old Leicester. They are in tatters and the potential for relegation is real. Brendan Rodgers has become overly reliant on James Maddison in attack and it’s hard to imagine City having many problems against the visitors’ threat in this attack.
City fans have fond memories of Amex when they saw it as the ground where City claimed the Premier League title in 2019.
Brighton have improved greatly since then, however, and there is little doubt that many will view this match as a potential banana peel for the title-chasers. Roberto De Zerbi has brilliantly built on the foundations led by Graham Potter and hopes to lead the club into Europe for the first time ever.
The tough test on the south coast arrives a few days before the big one. The reverse fixture at the Emirates, which City won 3-1, will pale in comparison to the importance of this fixture at Al-Ittihad.
Arsenal’s current form suggests this could be a title decider, and City would benefit from playing at home. Arsenal have not won at the Etihad since 2015, but Mikel Arteta’s side have made a habit of breaking barriers and defying the odds this season.
We are already counting down the days until the two best Premier League teams meet in Manchester.
