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As the season winds down, teams begin to prioritise games according to what competitions they remain in, and in Manchester City’s case, Pellegrini’s men are three wins away from lifting the Champions League trophy. Focus will turn to the European competition next Tuesday when they face Real Madrid at home in the first leg of the semi-finals, but before that, they have to take on Stoke in the Premier League.
City’s title challenge drifted away a few months ago, but they are not yet assured of a place in the top four as they currently reside third in the standings, one point above fourth-placed Arsenal with four games left to play. Manchester United are knocking on the door as they are two points adrift of their local rivals, so City cannot switch off in the Premier League as they still need to keep themselves within the top four. The team’s form in the top flight has improved over the last few weeks as they have managed to record three victories and a draw since losing 1-0 in the Manchester derby on March 20.
The Potters are on course to finish in the top half of the Premier League table this season, but Mark Hughes’s men need to start picking up points if they are to put pressure on the teams above them. Stoke are currently ninth in the standings, four points behind Southampton, seven behind Liverpool, who reside seventh and eighth respectively, and nine points adrift of sixth-placed West Ham United.
Last season, Hughes’s team finished the campaign in ninth place on 54 points, meaning that they will need a further eight from their last four games in order to better their 2014-15 campaign. The Potters are not in the best form of late, having recorded one draw and two defeats since sealing a 2-1 victory over Watford on March 19.
