What next for an unrelenting side on a 19-match winning run and still chasing four pieces of silverware? Four home games in a row, to be precise.
Manchester City lead the way in the Premier League, have an FA Cup quarter-final coming up at Everton, and then a Carabao Cup final against Tottenham now a month away.
They are also well placed to reach the Champions League last eight as well. Wednesday night’s 2-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach was their 19th win in a row, and puts them firmly in control of the last-16 tie ahead of the return leg on 16 March.
Now, Pep Guardiola’s side can switch their focus back to the Premier League, where they currently lead by 10 points ahead of Manchester United with 13 games to go.
Man City’s winning run
- 19 matches won in a row since 19 December
- 49 goals scored
- 6 goals conceded
- 13 clean sheets
A fifth league title in nine years now appears to be City’s to lose, and in their bid to reclaim the trophy relinquished to Liverpool last season, a favourable fortnight is on the way.
That is mainly down to location, more than the opposition itself, for after trips to Merseyside, London and Budapest, City can look forward to four home games and the benefits that come with keeping travelling down to a minimum in this most relentless of campaigns.
West Ham, Wolves, Manchester United and then Southampton all face away trips to the Etihad Stadium in the next two weeks, with the high-flying Hammers the next team tasked with ending City’s 26-game unbeaten run, which stretches back to November.
Man City fixtures before international break
- 27 Feb: Man City vs West Ham – Premier League
- 2 Mar: Man City vs Wolves – Premier League
- 7 Mar: Man City vs Man Utd – Premier League
- 10 Mar: Man City vs Southampton – Premier League
- 13 Mar: Fulham vs Man City – Premier League
- 16 Mar: Man City vs Gladbach – Champions League
- 20 Mar: Everton vs Man City – FA Cup
Perhaps most frightening of all, though not surprising, is the fact Guardiola is not content, with the City boss believing they could have been more clinical in front of goal against Monchengladbach.
“In general, we controlled the game. Unfortunately today we were not clinical enough up front,” Guardiola said.
“That is something we have to improve in this competition. Up front we have to be more clinical. In this competition you have to be perfect to make sure you go through.”
As talk of the quadruple ramps up, Guardiola dismissed their tag as Champions League favourites given holders Bayern Munich are also on course to reach the quarters with ease.
He added: “When I see Bayern Munich I don’t think we are favourites. My target is West Ham in three days.
“If people say we are favourites we have to accept it, but a team who in their whole history has been a semi-final once okay, they say it, we have to accept it.”
More on the Premier League
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- Young-Myles: The case for Spurs retaining Mourinho is diminishing by the week
- The making of Everton’s versatile defender whose rise surprised even his own manager
- Hall: Martial is running out of chances to prove he is part of the future at Man Utd
- The Czech ‘warriors’ who rose from obscurity to fire West Ham into European contention
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2NC5CDu
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