Can Manchester City really win the quadruple?

With the League Cup already safely stowed in the trophy cabinet, Manchester City are fighting on three more fronts in their pursuit of a quite unfathomable quadruple. No English team has ever amassed four trophies in one season, with City rivals Manchester United coming the closest, with their legendary treble of the 1998-99 season.

City narrowly took home the League Cup title back in February with a victory over Chelsea via a penalty shootout. However, as we enter the business end of the season, Pep Guardiola will be looking to guide his men towards three more trophies before the culmination of this year’s action.

Is the Premier League heading to City?

We look all set for a nail biting Premier League run in, with City and Liverpool going head to head for this year’s crown. City, of course, romped to a comfortable title win during last year as the ‘Centurions’ won the League via a 19-point margin to second place Manchester United. However, Pep’s men currently find themselves in second place behind the Merseysiders, having played one game less.

This year, the title race looks set to go to the wire as Jurgen Klopp’s men chase their first ever Premier League crown. Liverpool still have Tottenham and Chelsea both to visit Anfield, but their remaining fixtures look very kind on paper. City will also welcome Spurs to the Etihad stadium, along with a daunting visit to rivals Man United. With both City and Liverpool having two teams each of the ‘top 6’ left to play, they will be relying on victories over the ‘lesser’ teams to continue their pursuit of the title.

Liverpool’s fate is currently out of their own hands, as they are dependent on City dropping points from any of their remaining fixtures. Yet, the Citizens are hitting all of the right notes at the right time, and are playing with supreme levels of confidence. The trip to Old Trafford is what Liverpool fans will be pinning their hopes on, with Klopp’s men needing a huge favour from their oldest rivals.

City will be seen as favourites for the Premier League, but it is by no means a certainty, and Liverpool will be sure to push them every step of the way and will be ready to pounce on any points being dropped.

An easy FA Cup run

The easiest of the remaining trophies for City to claim, it looks to be a matter of when, not if, City will win this trophy given the quality of the remaining opposition. Following their controversial victory over Swansea City in the quarter finals, where a lack of VAR sent Man City through, they find themselves up against Brighton & Hove Albion in the semi-finals. Following this tie, they will face the winners of Watford vs Wolves in the final, assuming they get through.

This trophy couldn’t be any more handed on a plate to City, which is reflected in the odds for the trophy, with City currently as short as 1/3 to win at Wembley. It would take a major upset for Pep to not lift a domestic double, but City fans will be weary of a repeat of the 2013 FA Cup final, where Wigan pulled off a remarkable upset to claim a 1-0 victory. Yet, David Silva, Sergio Aguero and co. should have more than enough fire power to take home City’s sixth FA Cup, and their first since the 2010-11 season.

The Champions League challenge

What looks to be City’s toughest remaining test is lifting their maiden Champions League title. First up for them is an all English tie against Tottenham Hotspur, which Spurs will come into as major underdogs for. However, they pulled off a remarkable win against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter finals and will fancy another upset here. Yet, their recent record against Man City does not inspire hope, as the Citizens have won each of their last three fixtures.

Should Pep’s men get past Harry Kane and Spurs, they will come up against the winners of the Juventus-Ajax tie. Ajax pulled off the shock of the quarter finals with a stunning win over Real Madrid, whereas Juventus created their own history with an emphatic victory over Atletico Madrid. Juventus also have a certain Ronaldo on their books. City will be hoping Ajax can pull off one more shock, to give them a more favourable semi-final.

Should City manage to reach the final in Madrid, they will come up against one of Man United, Liverpool, Barcelona or Porto. Liverpool were handed the perfect quarter final tie and should have no problems in overcoming Porto. United face Barcelona in the last quarter-final, and the winner of this is likely to face Liverpool in the semi-finals. An all Manchester final would be something for the ages, yet Barcelona are expected to handle Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, setting up a mouth watering semi-final with Liverpool.

It’s very difficult to accurately predict who Man City could face in the final of the Champions Legaue, with Man United, Liverpool and Barcelona all having strong seasons and coming into form at the right end of the season. Yet, City will be hoping to avoid Barcelona, given their amazing European pedigree, and Lionel Messi, who is capable of winning any game by himself. The ideal final would be against Porto, but they are expected to crash out in the next round.

What could be truly remarkable, is a City vs Liverpool Champions League final, as the two teams will have just reached the final of the Premier League season. It could be revenge for one team, or the culmination of a truly wonderful season for the other, but it remains to be seen if City have the tools to lift all four trophies.

Featured Image Credit: “Manchester City FC” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by hm-photo