Pep Guardiola names new Premier League title favourites after Man City's draw with Arsenal

Premier League
Pep Guardiola names new Premier League title favourites after Man City's draw with Arsenal
Pep Guardiola admits Man City not title favourites after draw with Arsenal
City remain third in the Premier League table behind Gunners & Liverpool
Three points separate all three sides with nine games remaining

By Jamie Spencer
Apr 2, 2024
Man City are going to have to come from behind in the title race
Man City are going to have to come from behind in the title race / Michael Regan/GettyImages
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has conceded that his team are not favourites to win this season's Premier League following Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal.

The stalemate between the reigning champions and the Gunners allowed Liverpool to move top of the standings with only nine games to play, with Guardiola declaring that the team leading the way is always the one with the best chance of becoming champions.

"Always, who is first is favourite," the City boss explained.

"The second favourite is Arsenal and we are third. It's not in our hands. All we can do is think of Aston Villa [on Wednesday].

"When we were top of the league, we were favourites. It was in our hands. Now it's not. It's simple."

Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has already delivered five Premier League titles / Visionhaus/GettyImages
Off the back of last season's treble, City are searching for an unprecedented fourth straight league title, an achievement that has never been managed in the 136-year history of the Football League in England.

But they haven't led the Premier League since November, having fallen off the top as a result of four successive games without a win that culminated in a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in early December. As City now prepare to host Villa at the Etihad Stadium this week, that December encounter remains their last league defeat almost exactly four months on.

That being said, the title race remains so close that even in third place - the gap to Liverpool is only three points - City are potentially only one game away from reclaiming top spot if both Liverpool and Arsenal were to drop points and there is a sufficient goal difference swing.

The draw between City and Arsenal ultimately helped Liverpool the most, coming shortly after they were able to beat Brighton & Hove Albion in Sunday's earlier kick-off. All three sides still have European ambitions to balance with the domestic calendar, with City and Arsenal both in the Champions League quarter-finals this month and Liverpool at the same stage of the Europa League.

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Ollie Watkins injury update: Should you pick him for FPL Gameweek 31?
Ollie Watkins was forced off at half-time against Wolves on Saturday
Striker is dealing with a hamstring issue
Aston Villa take on Manchester City on Wednesday night

By James Cormack
Apr 2, 2024
Ollie Watkins is an injury doubt for Aston Villa's trip to Man City
Ollie Watkins is an injury doubt for Aston Villa's trip to Man City / James Baylis - AMA/GettyImages
If there's one player Aston Villa can ill-afford to be without during the run-in, it's Ollie Watkins.

The Villans have enjoyed a stellar season under Unai Emery despite their litany of injury absences. Emiliano Buendia hasn't kicked a ball this term, Tyrone Mings has managed only 31 minutes, while Boubacar Kamara succumbed to an ACL tear in February.

Matty Cash and Jacob Ramsey are recent additions to the treatment table, and Emery will hope that Watkins won't be the latest to fall victim to the club's injury bug.

The England international is in Golden Boot contention having scored 16 Premier League goals, and FPL owners, of which there are many, have reaped the rewards. Here's the latest regarding Watkins' injury heading into Gameweek 31.

What injury does Ollie Watkins have?
Ollie Watkins, Joao Gomes
Watkins was forced off at half-time against Wolves / James Baylis - AMA/GettyImages
They say that availability is the best ability, and Watkins has it in abundance. He hasn't missed a single Aston Villa game due to injury since he joined the club, but that record is under threat heading into Wednesday's game at the Etihad.

The English forward was withdrawn at half-time of Villa's eventual 2-0 victory over West Midlands rivals Wolves on Saturday with a hamstring injury. It is not considered a serious problem but is enough to keep him sidelined for the trip to Manchester City this week.

What has Unai Emery said about Ollie Watkins' injury?
The Villa boss provided a more concrete update in his press conference on Tuesday, having expressed some concern over Watkins' injury after Saturday's game. But he put Villa fans at ease.

"Ollie's injury is a small injury, with some days rest, maybe he could be available for the next match," Emery explained. Although that doesn't help FPL managers hoping for his involvement this week.

At best, Watkins could return to the Villa lineup for the visit of Brentford in Gameweek 32.

Ollie Watkins alternatives in FPL Gameweek 31
Darwin Nunez
Darwin Nunez has a favourable fixture in Gameweek 31 / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages
There's a full slate of midweek fixtures to enjoy as part of Gameweek 31, and many managers may have to turn to alternatives should Watkins miss Villa's trip to Man City.

Fortunately, given Watkins' price (second highest forward at £8.9m), there are plenty of options. If your focus is on maximising your points for Gameweek 31, you shouldn't look any further than Darwin Nunez (£7.6m) with Liverpool hosting bottom dwellers Sheffield United.

Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke (£7.2m) has also scored in back-to-back games, both at home, and the Cherries take on Crystal Palace at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday night.

Should Watkins miss an extended period, you might be tempted to introduce Jhon Duran, the Englishman's deputy at Villa Park, into your side on the cheap. The brutish forward has plenty of potential and is priced at a mere (£5.0m).

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MLS: Five storylines from Matchday Seven
FotMob - April 2, 2024, 4:00 PM
FC Cincinnati and the Vancouver Whitecaps continue to set the pace in the Eastern and Western Conferences respectively after a gameweek that saw no shortage of drama across Major League Soccer. A Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami laboured to a home draw against New York City FC while there were five-goal thrillers in Colorado and Vancouver. Here are five of the biggest storylines from the weekend in MLS.
By Graham Ruthven, MLS Expert
Djordje Mihailović making his mark as the Colorado Rapids’ main man
The Colorado Rapids’ off-season rebuild didn’t produce immediate results, but there are finally signs of things coming together for the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park outfit – not least because Djordje Mihailović is off the mark. The USA international had a hand in all three goals scored by the Rapids as they pulled off a comeback to beat Los Angeles FC 3-2 on Saturday.

Signed for a club-record fee from AZ Alkmaar, Mihailović has the quality to be Colorado’s main man in the final third. A stunning freekick equaliser was the highlight reel moment of the 25-year-old’s performance against LAFC, but he was influential throughout. The Rapids are making a conscious effort to get Mihailović on the ball more often and Saturday hinted at what he could produce in burgundy.


Chicho Arango embracing extra responsibility for Real Salt Lake
Chicho Arango made the most of the reprieve he was afforded against St Louis City. The Colombian could have been sent off for lashing out at Tomas Totland, but remained on the pitch to score a hat-trick for Real Salt Lake in a 3-1 win. The Western Conference is an open field and RSL are giving themselves a platform for the season ahead.

Pablo Ruiz will miss the entire 2024 campaign through injury which has heaped the expectation on Arango’s shoulders to deliver for Real Salt Lake. The 29-year-old, however, has embraced this extra responsibility and is just one strike behind Lewis Morgan – and level with Luis Suárez, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Dejan Joveljić – in the early-season Golden Boot standings.

Seattle Sounders’ winless run continues, but should they be concerned?
Five games into the 2024 season and the Seattle Sounders are still searching for their first win. Many still expect Brian Schmetzer’s team to be competitive near the top of the Western Conference, but the longer the winless run goes, the more concerns start to mount. Saturday’s defeat to the LA Galaxy extended the wait.


Seattle had chances in Carson. Jordan Morris spurned a late opportunity worth an 0.54 in Expected Goals (xG). The Sounders actually edged the match in terms of xG, shots, big chances and accurate passes, but injuries and a lack of cutting edge is costing them at the moment. “If I felt the team was really negative or coming apart, I’d be way more worried,” said Schmetzer afterwards.

DeAndre Yedlin settling – and making an impact – at FC Cincinnati
Without DeAndre Yedlin, FC Cincinnati would have suffered defeat away to Charlotte FC on Saturday. It was the USA international’s clever flick that put the opportunity to equalise on a plate for Aaron Boupendza at Bank of America Stadium. This was Yedlin’s first goal involvement since making the move to Cincy from Inter Miami last month.

Pat Noonan can’t count on a moment like this from Yedlin in every match – especially considering the 30-year-old made a run from the right wing to the left side of the box to set up Boupendza – but the early signs are positive that he will give FC Cincinnati the forward thrust they require in the wing-back position this season.


Fit again Sebastian Driussi changes the landscape for Austin FC
In his first 90-minute outing of the season, Sebastian Driussi highlighted just how important he is to Austin FC. The Argentine was the driving force for the Texans who recorded a much-needed 2-1 win – their first of the season – over FC Dallas on Saturday, setting up Diego Rubio for the game-winner with a tremendous cross into the area.

“Seba sets the team. He sets the pulse. His quality is one of the best in the league, there’s no doubt,” said Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff afterwards. Indeed, having Driussi on the pitch makes a big difference. With the 28-year-old fit and firing, Austin FC can certainly climb the Western Conference standings. He changes the landscape for them as a team.


(Cover image from IMAGO)

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