Saturdays football briefing Man City move up to third while EFL finale approaches

Manchester City edged towards Champions League qualification by beating Wolves 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Ahead of Friday evening’s match, City manager Pep Guardiola revealed he intends to take a break from football when he eventually leaves the club.

Elsewhere, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta expressed his anguish at again missing out on the Premier League title, while EFL clubs prepared for the final day of their season.

De Bruyne boosts City’s Champions League push

Kevin De Bruyne marked his penultimate home game for Manchester City with the only goal against Wolves.

The Belgium midfielder continued his farewell run before his contract expires this summer by striking in the 35th minute, his 250th goal involvement under Guardiola.

Wolves for one will not miss the Belgian – who has one more chance to grace the Etihad when City host Bournemouth on May 20 – as 11 of those have come in his last 10 appearances against them.

Victory made it five in a row for City for only the second time this season, moving them third before the rest of the weekend’s action and four points clear of sixth-placed Nottingham Forest in the fight for Champions League football.

Pep planning a break

In the build-up to City’s narrow victory, Guardiola said he will take a break from football when he leaves the club – but he is yet to decide when that might be.

Guardiola signed a new contract in November, tying himself to City for two more seasons, which would take his total time at the club to 11 years.

In an interview with ESPN Brasil, the 54-year-old appeared to indicate he would leave City at the end of that deal, but later on Friday he told Sky Sports he does not yet know when his time in Manchester might end.

“I didn’t say I’m leaving now, or the end of season or the end of contract, I said when I finish my time here, be it one, two, three, four, five years I will take a break,” he said. “I won’t retire, but I will take a break.”

Arteta’s anguish

Arsenal manager Arteta admits seeing Liverpool win the Premier League has been “painful”.

The Merseyside club were crowned champions on Sunday following a 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham at Anfield.

The Gunners fell short in a title race for a third successive season and, asked whether Liverpool winning the league has hurt him, Arteta, whose side host Bournemouth on Saturday, replied: “Yes, big time. They’ve had the ingredients to win it and it’s been painful.

“They’ve been the better team, had the better attributes, had their squad available consistently and we are going to try again.”

What’s on today?

Champions League-chasing Aston Villa host Fulham in the Premier League’s lunchtime kick-off before Everton take on Ipswich, Southampton travel to Leicester and second-placed Arsenal play at home to Bournemouth.

On a busy final day of the English Football League season, Leeds, who travel to beleaguered Plymouth, and Burnley, who host play-off hopefuls Millwall, will compete for the Championship title.

Coventry, Blackburn and Middlesbrough join the Lions in vying for the final two play-off spots, while, due to goal difference, the Pilgrims are almost certain to be relegated alongside Cardiff, with one of Stoke, Derby, Preston, Luton and Hull also set to suffer relegation.

Leyton Orient and Reading will battle for the final play-off place in League One. In League Two, Bradford, Walsall and Notts County are bidding to secure the final automatic promotion spot.

Elsewhere, England captain Harry Kane could finally celebrate the first silverware of his career when Bayern Munich seek to secure the Bundesliga title at RB Leipzig, albeit he will not be involved due to a one-match ban.

Published: 03/05/2025 by Radio NewsHub