Manchester City, thanks to Erling Haaland and the well-coordinated game of the whole team around him, is currently the favourite for the Premier League title.
The Citizens are one of the most frequent targets for Sports betting odds, and it's no wonder. Therefore, it is worth mentioning some statistics and information about past and upcoming matches of the Premier League and Champions League in order to clearly understand what awaits us very soon.
Almost Invincible
Manchester City's 2022 Premier League season got off to a good start. They opened the season with a game away at West Ham, and won 2-0 thanks to a brace from Erling Haaland. The second match of the season did not surprise anyone either. A comfortable win against Bournemouth FC saw the Blues get maximum points from their opening two games.
Not so easy was the draw against Newcastle United. It was an aggressive game from both teams, with six yellow cards issued in a 3-3 derby. This game was one of the most intriguing at the beginning of the season, because Newcastle's head-to-head record against the Blues wasn't good - 16 losses and only 2 wins against Manchester City. In the end, however, it was a well-deserved draw.
Good matches followed, but the fans were most surprised by the real 9th round at the Etihad Stadium, where the Red Devils and The Citizens met. Many analysts and experts believed that this would be one of the most interesting and hotly contested games of the season. And... they were right!
City utterly dominated their local rivals, and the eventual scoreline flattered United. The Blues opened the scoring thanks to Phil Foden in the 8th minute, then Erling Haaland scored 2 goals inunder five minutes (ending up with a hat-trick). And all this during the first half. It was very difficult for Erik Ten Hag's side. Perhaps an early yellow card for Diogo Dalot disrupted the reds, but as a result, even two good goals in the last minutes did not save the team from defeat. It finished 6-3 and a victory for Manchester City.
But not everything is as good as it should be for Manchester City fans. The first defeat in the Premier League against Liverpool was perhaps not unexpected. On the one hand, someone had to stop Erling Braut Haaland, which Manchester United failed so miserably to do. On the other hand, losing to the only goal in the 72nd minute shows how close the game was. It was unusual to see Liverpool playing relatively defnesively at home.
Further defeats from Tottenham and Manchester United followed, but as a result, City at the time of writing are in second place in the table with 67 points. Arsenal remain top but within touching distance.
Upcoming Matches
Manchester City's next game starts very soon (15.04) against Leicester. Something grandiose can be expected, but not 100%. Leicester currently occupies the penultimate place of the table, ahead of only Southampton. So the Manchester City squad should easily beat them.
But not everything is as easy as it might seem. They have to play very carefully, because then they will have a match for respect and possibly the first place in the leaderboard. An extra yellow card or a tram can play a cruel joke on Josep Guardiola's team, because April 26th will be one of the most anticipated days in the Premier League as tournament leaders Arsenal and Manchester City meet at the Etihad Stadium.
Moreover, Manchester City will face Bayern in the Champions League. At the moment, the score in personal meetings is 4:5 in favor of Manchester City, so this duel can both equalize the score and put the team ahead.
Perhaps something interesting can happen in the match against Chelsea, but unfortunately The Blues' game is not at a high level this season. They still move well, but often make mistakes in macro play. What can not be said about Manchester City, where the level of the game and the energy of the team are always in flux.
Conclusion
An exciting end to the season awaits. The goals and understanding of the game from Erling Braut Haaland has been amazing in his debut Premier League campaign. The question remains, however, how long will it last? Is this titan unstoppable? Matches against Arsenal in the Premier League and against Bayern in the Champions League are still the most anticipated upcoming fixtures, and it Haaland will surely play a decisive role as the season draws to a close.