MY ACCOUNT
Ilkay Gundogan believes Manchester City must step on the accelerator at the top of the Premier League if they are to deny Liverpool the title.
Another remarkable race for silverware is unfolding in England between the north-west giants, with Pep Guardiola’s City currently six points ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
Liverpool’s trip to City on April 10 could be pivotal in determining the destiny of the trophy, and by the time City are in action next, at Crystal Palace on Monday, their lead could be down to three points.
That is because Liverpool play ahead of them, taking on Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
Gundogan said: “There is no potential to do mistakes for both sides. We have a showdown at the Etihad in a few weeks.
“Both teams are capable to win all of the remaining games as we both have shown a few years ago. It’s going to be a tight race until the end, this is what we believe.”
Gundogan is referring to the 2018-19 Premier League season when he reflects on the season when both City and Liverpool stalked each other to the finish line.
It was City who edged that battle with 98 points to the Reds’ 97, before Liverpool streaked to glory by 18 points in the following campaign.
City reasserted their authority last term, with a third title in four seasons, and narrowly have the upper hand this time around, albeit with time for that to change. They have 10 games left; Liverpool have 11.
City’s shock home defeat to Tottenham on February 19 is their only league loss in the last 18 games, but has highlighted a potential vulnerability at a crucial stage of the campaign.
Guardiola and Klopp have Champions League commitments that must be attended to over the coming weeks and months, having guided their teams to the quarter-finals. Liverpool edged past Inter 2-1 on aggregate, while City sealed an impressive last-16 win over Sporting CP as they consolidated a 5-0 win in Portugal with a goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Gundogan said City’s home display was “very mature” and safety-first. They are attempting to go one better than last season, when they were beaten 1-0 in the final by Chelsea.
“The confidence is very high,” German midfielder Gundogan said. “The experience from the last years always helps. Going into the final last year, even though we lost, it is a great experience for all of our players, especially as it was the first time for a lot of us.
“We smelt last year how it was, the tension and the atmosphere to go into the final.
“Obviously we again have the highest hopes for this year, even though the competition is very big.
“I think there’s a lot of quality and potential in our squad. There is no reason not to be confident and that’s how we’re going to approach also the quarter-finals.”
