Ex-Manchester City midfielder Didi Hamann says there is no guarantee that his former club will finish in the Champions League places.
Speaking to Best Betting Sites, Hamann pointed to the game against Brighton at the weekend to suggest that not all is well at the Etihad and he feels rivals could end up finishing ahead of them:
“I would favour Newcastle to finish ahead of both Man City and Chelsea, because Brighton had a huge chance with 10 minutes to go in their 2-2 draw last weekend. It was a one-on-one with the keeper where City could have lost it. It’s been going on for a long time now. They’ve got a lot of players who are in the autumn of their careers, and they’re just a team at the moment.”
“I think the fear factor has gone at the Etihad. Teams go there thinking they can get something, which wasn’t the case before. Is it a concern? Well, I wouldn’t say it’s a concern, but I think City knows full well that they’re not guaranteed to finish in the top five and that would obviously mean no Champions League football. I think it would be a disaster for their club if that were to happen.”
What is the current state of play in the Premier League?
Heading into the international break, the Cityzens are sitting 5th in the table but Newcastle are only a point behind with a game in hand.
The draw versus Brighton also means that the Seagulls are just a point adrift too, with Fulham and Aston Villa a further two points back with nine games remaining.
City don’t have the easiest run-in
After playing Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-final at the end of this month, Pep Guardiola‘s side have a rather straightforward home match versus Leicester City.
They then travel to Old Trafford for the Manchester derby before hosting Crystal Palace. They finish the campaign with Everton (a), Aston Villa (h), Wolves (h), Southampton (a), Bournemouth (h) and Fulham (a), with most of the those sides still having a lot to play for.
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