With seven games remaining, City must secure their spot in the Champions League. Currently in sixth place, they trail Chelsea and Newcastle by one point. The Magpies also have a game in hand, and Guardiola is well aware that further slip-ups could be costly.
The manager is missing several key players, including Erling Haaland, John Stones, Nathan Aké, and Manuel Akanji, while the team also continues to struggle without Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. Additionally, Phil Foden’s availability for Saturday’s clash with Crystal Palace is in doubt after he sustained an ankle injury in the Manchester Derby.
Guardiola stressed: “To be in the Champions League next season, playing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we need to win nearly every game.
“It’s not that complicated now. We don’t have 15 or 20 games left, we have just seven. Every match is like a final. We need to win a lot of them to qualify, especially with Newcastle only playing once a week, and considering the strength of teams like Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Nottingham Forest.”
City have an opportunity to apply pressure on their rivals when they face Crystal Palace in the early Saturday kickoff.
Manchester City performance and stats
Manchester City is currently 4th in the Premier League with 55 points.
In the last 32 games, it has won 16 times, drew 7 times, and lost 9 times. In its last match, Manchester City won 5-2 against Crystal Palace.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 62 goals and conceding 42.
Manchester City will play the next match in Premier League against Everton on Saturday 19th of April in Liverpool.
