Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria

Man Cityvs.Chelsea

sportsmole.co.uk, 19 April 2024, 19:15
Manchester City will be looking to set a new unbeaten club record when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Citizens had their dreams of winning an unprecedented double-treble quashed in midweek as they were beaten on penalties by Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Pep Guardiola's side were staring down the barrel of defeat in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium as they entered the final 15 minutes of normal time a goal behind courtesy of Rodrygo's early first-half opener.

However, Kevin De Bruyne netted a 76th-minute equaliser to ensure Man City would avoid defeat in 90 minutes and take the tie into extra time.

In the end, City were made to rue a plethora of missed opportunities and were unable to make their dominance count, as a resilient Real Madrid outfit admirably held on to take the tie to penalties before knocking out the holders 4-3 in the shootout.

Man City on cusp of making history

Despite the defeat on penalties, Man City's draw in 90 minutes has seen them equal a century-old club record for their longest ever unbeaten home run in all competitions (42 games).

The Citizens will have to wait until May 4 before they can attempt to break that record against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, but Guardiola and co can instead set a different unbeaten record in this weekend's FA Cup clash with Chelsea.

Indeed, City will put together a 29-game unbeaten run in all competitions (home and away) for the first time in their history if they avoid defeat in 90 minutes against Mauricio Pochettino's side at Wembley.

Achieving such a feat would see the Citizens surpass the 28-game unbeaten streak they set between April 2017 and December 2017 in Guardiola's second year in charge of the club.

Man City last tasted defeat on December 6 when they lost 1-0 at Aston Villa in the Premier League, and they have since won 22 and drawn five of their last 28 matches across four different competitions.

Guardiola urges Man City to bounce back from Champions League exit

Guardiola has acknowledged the disappointment he and his Man City side felt in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday's penalty-shootout defeat, but the Catalan boss has encouraged his players to not dwell on the result and bounce back with victory over Chelsea this weekend.

Asked at his pre-match press conference on Friday whether his Man City squad are ready to return to action, Guardiola said: "We have no other option. We can't feel sorry for ourselves. In football you lose games. We performed at our best and we could not win.

"We will reflect in the summer about what happened during the season. You compete to win. It hasn't happened many times in the last seasons but sometimes you lose games. That's what happened.

"[The mood] Today is better than yesterday and tomorrow, better than today. We did everything (to beat Real Madrid) They know it, we know it, but it was not enough. We congratulate them and tomorrow, FA Cup."

Man City's recent record against Chelsea bodes well ahead of Saturday's contest, as they have not lost any of their last eight meetings with the West Londoners in all competitions (W6 D2), including two enthralling draws in the Premier League this season.

Top News

3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has delivered a concerning update on Virgil van Dijk ahead of Sunday's Premier League encounter with Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will be aiming to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they head to Selhurst Park on Monday evening to tackle Crystal Palace. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two titans stuttering towards the Premier League finish line clash at Anfield in Sunday's headline battle, as Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur both endeavour to rectify some recent mistakes. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City attacker Phil Foden has been named the 2024 Football Writers' Association Men's Footballer of the Year. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has reiterated calls for Conor Gallagher to pen a new contract at Stamford Bridge. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City reportedly had scouts present to assess the capabilities of Chelsea full-back Ian Maatsen earlier this week. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides separated by a single point in the bottom half of the Championship table will do battle in the final round of games of the season on Saturday, as Swansea City welcome Millwall to South Wales. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ankaragucu vs. Alanyaspor (Friday, 6.00pm) Ankaragucu will hope to remain clear of the relegation zone when they host Alanyaspor at Eryaman Stadium on Friday evening. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Toulouse vs. Montpellier (Friday, 6.00pm) With their spot amongst France's finest crop secured for a third straight season, Toulouse will welcome an in-form Montpellier HSC side to Stadium de Toulouse on Friday evening in Ligue 1. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion Women will welcome Aston Villa Women to Broadfield Stadium for Sunday's Women's Super League contest. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United must reportedly fend off the threat of two European heavyweights if they are to acquire one of their top defensive targets this summer. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides with contrasting objectives clash in the Turkish Super Lig when Samsunspor host Trabzonspor at the Samsun 19 Mayis Stadyumu on Saturday evening. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A long-serving Liverpool defender is reportedly open to exploring a move away from Anfield this summer alongside Jurgen Klopp. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly set their sights on bringing a former Arsenal number one back to the Premier League this summer. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon will be looking to take another step towards securing the Primeira Liga title when they play host to Portimonense at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Saturday. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino felt that his players showed the qualities required to improve as a team during their 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Last season's runners-up Fiorentina secured a brilliant 3-2 victory thanks to M'Bala Nzola's 91st-minute winner against Club Brugge after a fascinating first leg. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Last season's runners-up Fiorentina secured a brilliant 3-2 victory thanks to M'Bala Nzola's 91st-minute winner against Club Brugge after a fascinating first leg. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen recorded a 2-0 victory over Roma in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final in Italy on Thursday night. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chancel Mbemba cancelled out an opener from Gianluca Scamacca, as Marseille drew 1-1 with Atalanta BC in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final in France on Thursday night. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea strengthened their hopes of European qualification while inflicting the latest blow on Tottenham Hotspur's top-four bid with a deserved 2-0 win over their London rivals in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Unai Emery has made three changes to his Aston Villa XI for Thursday's Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against Olympiacos. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to address their woeful run of form at the end of this campaign, Coventry City will welcome Queens Park Rangers to the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday afternoon in the Championship. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk On Saturday, Everton Ladies will welcome Tottenham Hotspur Ladies to Walton Hall Park for their final home game of the Women's Super League season. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing a point to guarantee their Championship survival, Sheffield Wednesday will head to the Stadium of Light to meet Sunderland on the final day of the season on Saturday. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have made five changes for Thursday's Premier League game at Chelsea. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has reportedly picked up a foot injury, which could rule him out of Saturday's La Liga clash against Cadiz. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have received a timely injury boost ahead of Sunday's Premier League showdown with Tottenham Hotspur, as one of their injury victims was pictured in full training on Wednesday. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly planning to offer Crystal Palace the chance to re-sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka as part of a deal which could see Michael Olise move to Old Trafford.