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[ad_1] MANCHESTER: Manchester City have one foot in the Champions League semi-finals after a 3-0 win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday that served as a reminder of manager Pep Guardiola's brilliance despite his long wait to conquer Europe. Guardiola claimed to have been "emotionally destroyed" by the tension of a night on which his current side showed a clinical edge they have often lacked to get over the line at this stage of the competition. In the 12 years since Guardiola last lifted the European Cup as Barcelona boss, he has often been accused of over-complicating things in the Champions League knockout stages. That included three semi-final exits during his time in charge of Bayern between 2014 and 2016. The closest Guardiola has come to delivering City's long-awaited Champions League glory came in losing the 2021 final to Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea. Tuchel's appointment as Bayern boss less than three weeks ago appeared very much with this tie in

[ad_1] MANCHESTER: Rampant Manchester United are eager to inflict more pain on Liverpool at Anfield as Arsenal aim to pull further clear of Manchester City in the Premier League title race this weekend. The Gunners are hot favourites to see off Bournemouth at the Emirates, while City face a Newcastle side hoping to put the bitter disappointment of their League Cup final defeat behind them. Tottenham must bounce back quickly from an FA Cup exit to maintain their advantage over Newcastle and Liverpool in the race for a top-four finish. AFP Sport looks at some of the key talking points ahead of the weekend's action in the English top flight. Liverpool won both Premier League fixtures against fierce rivals United last season by an aggregate score of 9-0. However, the fortunes of both clubs have dramatically changed over the past 12 months. Fresh from lifting the League Cup to end a six-year wait for silverware, United's run of one defeat in 22 games has kept them in

[ad_1] ISTANBUL: Manchester City are huge favourites heading into Saturday's Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul as Pep Guardiola's side aim to finally get their hands on the greatest prize in European club football, and complete a historic treble. City have been building towards this moment ever since the transformative 2008 takeover of the club by the Abu Dhabi United Group. They have become England's dominant force, winning seven Premier League titles in the last 12 seasons and following their latest triumph by claiming the FA Cup last weekend. It has happened just as they have become the club with the greatest revenues in world football according to analysts Deloitte, with income of 731 million euros ($788m) last season. Question marks surround their success, given that City were charged in February by the Premier League with 115 alleged breaches of its financial rules between 2009 and 2018. In Europe, meanwhile, City were banned for two

[ad_1] MUNICH: Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said he was surprised with his team's lack of "anger in the belly" after a tame home draw with Hoffenheim on Saturday ahead of their Champions League return leg against Manchester City. Bayern were thrashed 3-0 in Manchester in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Tuesday and face a mountain to climb in Wednesday's second game. They missed a chance to move four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim as second-placed Borussia Dortmund also drew 3-3 with 10-man Stuttgart. "We only had very, very rare moments of good play," Tuchel said. "We played with little energy, little spirit, little change of pace, little conviction and little confidence." It was a disappointing end to a tumultuous week in which Sadio Mane was suspended by the club after a physical altercation with Leroy Sane following the City game which left his teammate with a cut lip.

[ad_1] MANCHESTER: Manchester City's time to conquer Europe may have finally come after Real Madrid were slayed by the English champions on Wednesday to reach their second Champions League final. City thrashed the Spanish giants 4-0 at the Etihad for a 5-1 aggregate victory that exacted revenge for a dramatic semi-final exit to Madrid 12 months ago. Pep Guardiola's men are not just closing in on the trophy the club's owners have desired since an Abu-Dhabi backed takeover in 2008 began pouring billions of pounds of investment into the club. Victory against Inter Milan in Istanbul next month could complete a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, matching local rivals Manchester United's historic achievement in 1998/99. A fifth league title in six seasons appears a foregone conclusion with City needing a maximum of three points from their final three games. United will have their chance to protect their record as the only English club to do