Nottingham Forest's Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo (L) greets Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola (R) ahead of kick-off in the English Premier League football match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.Nottingham Forest's Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo (L) greets Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola (R) ahead of kick-off in the English Premier League football match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.
Nottingham Forest's Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo (L) greets Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola (R) ahead of kick-off in the English Premier League football match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. | AFP via Getty Images
Manchester City are in a battle to finish inside the Premier League’s Champions League places
Manchester City are preparing for their final Premier League fixture before the March international break as Brighton and Hove Albion visit the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Pep Guardiola’s side sit fifth in the table after a 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest last weekend. The victory put the City Ground outfit four points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side and gave Chelsea the chance to leapfrog City into the top four. The Stamford Bridge club are two points ahead of City with 10 games remaining of the season.
The fight for the Champions League spots looks set to go down to the wire with just five points between Bournemouth in ninth and Chelsea in fourth. Fulham are only a further two points back in 10th. The Premier League is set to be handed a fifth qualification spot due to their strong UEFA coefficient. In the new format of the competitions, two leagues are given an extra spot based on coefficient rankings, with England and Spain currently topping the rankings. Confirmation of which countries get a fifth spot won’t be confirmed until May.
Guardiola on Champions League hopes
Speaking after Saturday’s loss at Forest, Guardiola insisted that qualifying for the Champions League this season would be a “big success” for his side. He said: “Of course if we qualify for the Champions League it will be a big success. But you have to [earn it] and win games and we are able to do it sometimes in a row, but sometimes with four or five minutes left of the game we have a chance, but we could not do it.”
He continued: “Listen, I want to qualify for the Champions League – of course we want to qualify. But the other teams who did not qualify last season have come back and they are there, and how many years have Manchester City been in the Champions League? 10 years? More?
“Before that, we never played in the Champions League, so of course, we are used to doing exceptional things and of course we have to try to do it. But at the end, of course, we wake up in the morning and try to do a good season next season, we have to continue, but at the end we have to try.
“Sometimes in the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League and other competitions, the circumstances and small details and many things make the difference. But in the Premier League, after 38 games, if we don’t qualify it is because we were not good enough. But we still have 10 games, the season is still in our hands, and we are going to try.”
Every team fighting for a spot in the Champions League has 10 games remaining, bar Aston Villa who have just nine after their fixture with Liverpool was moved forward due to the Reds’ participation in the Carabao Cup final.
Man City’s final 10 games compared to rivals
Man City: Brighton (H), Leicester City (H), Man Utd (A), Crystal Palace (H), Everton (A), Aston Villa (H), Wolves (H) Southampton (A), Bournemouth (H), Fulham (A).
Nottingham Forest: Ipswich (A), Man Utd (H), Aston Villa (A), Everton (H), Tottenham (A), Brentford (H), Crystal Palace (A), Leicester (H), West Ham (A), Chelsea (H).
Chelsea: Arsenal (A), Spurs (H), Brentford (A), Ipswich (H), Fulham (A), Everton (H), Liverpool (H), Newcastle (A), Man Utd (H), Nottingham Forest (A).
Newcastle: Brentford (H), Leicester City, (A), Man Utd (H), Crystal Palace (H), Aston Villa (A), Ipswich Town (H), Brighton & Hove Albion (A), Chelsea (H), Arsenal, (A) Everton (H).
Brighton: Man City (A), Aston Villa (H), Crystal Palace (A). Leicester City (H). Brentford (A). West Ham United (H), Newcastle United (H), Wolves (A), Liverpool (H), Tottenham Hotspur (A).
Aston Villa: Brighton (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Southampton (A), Newcastle United (H), Man City (A), Fulham (H), Bournemouth (A), Tottenham Hotspur (H), Man Utd (A).
Bournemouth: Brentford (H), Ipswich (H), West Ham (A), Fulham (H), Crystal Palace (A), Man Utd (H), Arsenal (A), Aston Villa (H), Fulham (A), and Leicester (H).
Fulham: Tottenham Hotspur (H), Arsenal (A), Liverpool (H), Bournemouth (A), Bournemouth (A), Chelsea (H), Southampton (A), Aston Villa (A), Everton (H), Brentford (A), and Manchester City (H).
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