Guardiola will want perfect 10 for Blues
WITH hopes high that the Premier League will return next month, City face a busy run-in, with 10 league matches as well as still being in the FA Cup and Champions League.
The Blues’ hopes of retaining their title are all-but over, with Liverpool needing just two more wins from their last eight games to clinch the crown.
But Pep Guardiola’s side will be determined to finish strongly and ensure they claim second place but they face a tough league runin...
■ ARSENAL (H)
THIS game was due to take place on the weekend of the Carabao Cup final. It was rearranged for March 11, but was cancelled the day of the match after it emerged several Gunners players had been in contact with Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marianakis who had later tested positive for coronavirus.
Pep Guardiola has had little trouble from the Gunners on the pitch in recent years. December’s 3-0 win at the Emirates is typical of the encounters between the two sides these days.
However, that match was the last with Mikel Arteta alongside him in the City dugout before the former Arsenal midfielder left to take charge at his former club.
Arteta’s appointment has sparked an improvement in the previouslymisfiring Gunners and he will be looking to prove a point on his first return to the Etihad.
■ BURNLEY (H)
CITY swept Burnley aside 4-1 at Turf Moor in early December and have lost just once in 23 meetings with the Clarets, winning 16. They will expect to pick up another three points in this fixture.
■ CHELSEA (A)
WITH Londoners hoping to chase down a Champions League place, a tough test awaits City at Stamford Bridge. Guardiola and Co have a patchy record at Chelsea so will need to be at the top of their game in this encounter. A point would be a decent return.
■ LIVERPOOL (H)
IF, by some chance, Liverpool have not been crowned champions by the time this game rolls around, it becomes a must-win for Guardiola to at least try to knock them further off course.
If, as expected, Jurgen Klopp’s side have wrapped things up, City will still have pride to play for. That 3-1 defeat at Anfield in November still rankles.
■ SOUTHAMPTON (A)
GUARDIOLA and City will expect to extend their winning run against the Saints in all competitions to eight when they travel to St Mary’s.
Southampton are seven points clear of the drop zone, but could find themselves dragged back into a relegation scrap by the time this game rolls round.
■ NEWCASTLE (H)
CITY have failed to beat Newcastle in their two most recent matches following a shock defeat last term and a damaging 2-2 draw earlier this season.
However, both games were at St James’ Park and these encounters take on a very different complexion at the Etihad, with City winning their last 10 in the league against the Magpies with an aggregate score of 34-7.
Sergio Aguero will also be keen to add to the 15 he’s scored against Newcastle in 13 matches, including the five he bagged in the 6-1 hammering in 2015.
■ BRIGHTON (A)
THE scene of last season’s title triumph. City have a 100 per cent record against Brighton since the Seagulls were promoted to the Premier League in 2017.
Guardiola will be expecting another happy trip to the south coast, despite the hosts probably needing points in their battle against the drop.
■ BOURNEMOUTH (H)
APART from two draws separated by 10 years between 1989 and 1999, City have a near perfect record against the Cherries with 13 wins from 15 matches. With Eddie Howe’s team battling to avoid relegation, few would bet against City extending that record to 14 wins.
■ WATFORD (A)
ANOTHER side against whom City have a sensational record.
Their 12 consecutive wins against the Hornets include an 8-0 drubbing in the reverse fixture and a 6-0 thrashing at Wembley in last season’s FA Cup final as City sealed the treble in style.
Guardiola will be hoping for more of the same, although he’ll be wary that Watford are the ones who put an end to Liverpool’s unbeaten run earlier this season.
■ NORWICH (H)
CITY’S season started to unravel following a trip to Carrow Road in September when Daniel Farke’s side stunned the champions to win 3-2.
The Canaries currently prop up the table and could bid their farewell to the Premier League against a City side who will want to end their league campaign on a high.