SM
Man United vs. Bodo/Glimt: 3 hrs 8 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

A look at the key questions surrounding Manchester City's quadruple bid

:Headline: A look at the key questions surrounding Manchester City's quadruple bid:
City are in the Carabao Cup final, the last four of the FA Cup and Champions League and are closing in on the Premier League title.
Sports Mole

Manchester City's bid for an unprecedented quadruple remains on track after they secured their place in the Champions League semi-finals with victory over Borussia Dortmund.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what they could accomplish and if they could come unstuck.

Is winning four trophies really realistic?

City won the domestic treble two years ago (Peter Byrne/PA)

With a maximum of 12 games to go there is still an awful lot for City to do to deliver a quadruple. But Wednesday's win in Dortmund cleared a major hurdle as this is the first time they have advanced beyond the quarter-final stage of the Champions League under Pep Guardiola. Wrapping up the Premier League title appears a formality at this stage, even after last week's surprise home defeat to Leeds, so the focus for fans is on the cup fixtures which will come thick and fast in the coming weeks.

Who else stands in their way?
By the end of the month, City could find themselves on the verge of a historic achievement or picking up the pieces of their dreams. Four of their next six fixtures come in the cups – starting with Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against a Chelsea side revitalised under Thomas Tuchel. A week later they will take on Jose Mourinho's Tottenham in the Carabao Cup final before heading to the French capital to face Paris St Germain in the first leg of their semi-final three days later.

Can anyone really stop them?

Leeds celebrated an upset victory at City last week (Michael Regan/PA)

City have been like a juggernaut since the turn of the year, with 28 wins from their last 30 matches. However, as the two defeats to Manchester United and Leeds have shown, there is always the potential for a slip. They face a maximum of 12 more games this season, but six of those would be in cup competitions where there is no margin for error.

So what could go wrong?
Guardiola has tried to shut down talk of the quadruple but if they overcome both Chelsea and Tottenham, it may become hard to ignore. Guardiola has managed his squad well so far, making a handful of changes to keep his players fresh, usually with no obvious loss of momentum. But when he went as far as seven changes for the visit of Leeds it came at a price – a warning for the rest of the season.

Are there no weaknesses?

Manchester City's Rodri reacts after a missed chance (Michael Regan/PA)

It is difficult for any opponent to pinpoint a weakness. If there is one it is perhaps a failure to score the goals their domination often warrants. A plan could therefore be to absorb pressure and look to catch City cold with a sucker punch, but that is not so easy in practice. It may take other factors, such as injuries, suspensions or fixture congestion, to unsettle them.

Is this finally the year for them in the Champions League?
Europe has been their undoing in recent years and Guardiola's tactics have fallen short. There is no doubt they are good enough to succeed on that stage but they have a monkey on their back they must remove. Reaching the semi-final was a big step, but it gets no easier from here.

How do they prioritise the competitions?

City are bidding to win the Carabao Cup for a fourth year in succession (Mike Egerton/PA)

Guardiola always says winning the Premier League is his number one objective but, given that competition looks all but wrapped up, recent selections show his focus is turning elsewhere. Of all the challenges that remain, the tight turnaround between the Carabao Cup final and the away leg of the Champions League semi-final in Paris looks a major one. It will be fascinating to see how Guardiola handles it.

body check tags ::

amp_article__443203 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-04-15 10:41:55:
html db last update - 2021-04-15 10:41:55 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Share this article now:
CN
Read Next:
UCL Team of the Week - Neymar, Phil Foden, N'Golo Kante
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Pep Guardiola Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
UCL Team of the Week - Neymar, Phil Foden, N'Golo Kante
Arsenal 'hold talks' with 'talented' £54m midfielder wanted by Man City
Change of plan? Spurs to 'accelerate goalkeeper transfer' following Vicario blow
Preview: Harrogate vs. Gainsborough - prediction, team news, lineups

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Arsenal 'hold talks' with 'talented' £54m midfielder wanted by Man City

1

A'

Preview: West Ham vs. Arsenal - prediction, team news, lineups

2

PW

Preview: Wealdstone vs. Wycombe - prediction, team news, lineups

NEW

3

PW

'Arteta had a shambles, Slot has winners': Does the Arsenal boss have to win the Premier League?

NEW

4

'H

West Ham vs. Arsenal: Head-to-head record and past meetings

5

WH

Arteta's defensive dilemma: Predicted Arsenal XI against West Ham

6

AD

Preview: Barcelona vs. Las Palmas - prediction, team news, lineups

7

PB

Preview: Wolves vs. Bournemouth - prediction, team news, lineups

8

PW

Thursday's Europa League predictions including Man United vs. Bodo/Glimt

9

TE

Will Yamal return? How Barcelona could line up against Las Palmas

10

WY


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .