Manchester City in pole position to deliver their first ever Champions League trophy

Pep Guardiola’s impact at Manchester City has been similar to that of all the other clubs he’s managed. The Spaniard, who was hugely successful at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich, is clearly enjoying the project in Manchester and appears to be building something pretty special at the City of Manchester Stadium.

With last season’s Premier League success - a title they won with relative ease - and the clear desire from the club’s hierarchy to maintain their rise in the years ahead and dominate English football like their city rivals in red did for so many seasons, the pressure has mounted on Guardiola at times this season. Liverpool’s rise to prominence under Jurgen Klopp has been nothing short of admirable, with the Anfield giants breathing firmly down the necks of the Citizens throughout the campaign and giving them the kind of pressure they certainly didn’t feel last season.

The Premier League title race is heating up between the two clubs as they both look to be going full steam ahead and taking it right down to the wire. Odds on Pep’s City retaining their title are currently priced at 4/11 (skybet), making them slight favourites, but Klopp’s Liverpool side, who are coming in at 9/4 (skybet), are desperate for that long-awaited Premier League prize and, as they’ve proven throughout the campaign, are ready to pounce should City slip up.

Domestic duties aside, Guardiola’s affinity with the Champions League alongside the impressive displays his Manchester City side are demonstrating in the competition, make the Manchester giants strong contenders for the competition as it enters its crucial stage.

After destroying German side Schalke 10-2 on aggregate to confirm their passage to the quarter-finals, many experts and pundits alike were describing the showing as City’s coming of age in Europe. They weren’t wrong either.

Before the match, Guardiola labelled his side as the only “teenagers in the competition”, perhaps trying to take the pressure off his troops in the process, but also suggesting he doesn’t expect his team to mount a serious challenge in Europe this campaign. He’s rarely incorrect, but Pep certainly seems to have made the wrong call on this one, especially judging by their annihilation of Schalke.

With the likes of Sergio Aguero - arguably the greatest striker the Premier League has ever seen - and David Silva in their ranks, alongside Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling to name a few, Manchester City are in a strong chance of winning the Champions League this season, whatever their manager says. Odds on them to win it are currently best-priced at 5/2 (Unibet), making them current favourites, but it’s a tag Guardiola won’t be keen to endorse. Nor, will he be taking quarter-final opponents Spurs too lightly.

Much like their rivals for the Premier League crown in Liverpool, competition is strong in the Champions League too though. Online betting free bets enables maximum value to be had whoever you fancy for the prize, but City will certainly be up there alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus, who are currently priced at 10/3 (bet365), and Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, who are rated as being in with a 7/2 chance of winning it all on June 1st. The prices for other sides after the quarter finals draw are: Liverpool 4/1, Manchester United 20/1, Spurs 28/1, Ajax 33/1 and Porto 100/1.

As the season draws to a close and an important period approaches for Manchester City, Pep Guardiola’s side should not only be focusing all their efforts on retaining their domestic prize but also lifting a trophy Pep Guardiola himself is all too familiar with - the Champions League. This season, more than any before, the Citizens have a squad capable of challenging on both fronts and are in-form.