Manchester City to Seal the Title
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This weekend sees a potentially huge day in the Premier League as Manchester City are just one win away from claiming the Premier League title.
With second placed Manchester United coming to the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City know a win over their local rivals will see them move into a 19-point lead. Both teams will have six games left following this one, which means only 18 points are available and it will be impossible for Manchester United to overhaul Pep Guardiola’s team.
Manchester City come into the game having suffered a very disappointing defeat at Liverpool in the Champions League. It was a match everyone was looking forward to but Manchester city were blown away in the first half and could not recover from being 3-0 down at half-time.
It was Manchester City’s second Champions League defeat in a row but in the Premier League, trends show they are undefeated in their last eight matches, winning each of the last five. Manchester City have won their last fourteen home Premier League games and are yet to taste defeat at the Etihad Stadium in the league this season.
Having been eliminated from the Champions League in a shock home defeat to Sevilla, Manchester United have not had a match this week. They have the FA Cup left as the only trophy they can win, as even a victory in this match is not going to be enough to deny Manchester City the title.
Manchester United make the short trip to the Etihad having defeated Swansea City 2-0 at Old Trafford last weekend and trends show they have won each of their last four Premier League matches.
There have been wins over Crystal Palace, Swansea City, Liverpool and Chelsea, with the latter two results showing Jose Mourinho’s team have what it takes to beat teams inside the top five this season.
However, the Red Devils have not had things all their own way on the road and have lost two of their last three away league games, with the defeats coming at Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. The common factor in both matches was Manchester United’s inability to score a goal and you feel they will need at least one to take something from this game.
Manchester United have conceded 5 goals in their last three away Premier League games.
Looking ahead to the team news and Manchester City are still without injured full-back Benjamin Mendy. Guardiola will want to assess his squad following the match with Liverpool and may choose to rest some key players ahead of a big second leg for his team.
Manchester United are still without the injured defensive duo of Daley Blind and Phil Jones. It will be interesting to see what Mourinho does in midfield and Scott McTominay may play alongside Nemanja Matic with Paul Pogba pushed further forward or dropping to the bench.
Even if Manchester City start with some of their big names missing, they still have the quality to take something from this match. However, with Guardiola sure to be prioritising the Champions League tie with Liverpool, we could see a low scoring draw.
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