Pep Guardiola says Man City’s final two Premier League matches are “massive” but if they don’t qualify for the Champions League, then they won’t have deserved to.
City’s underwhelming campaign will end without silverware following their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final as their attention turns back to securing a spot in Europe’s showpiece tournament with their fate still in their hands.
Victories in their final games of the Premier League season, at home to Bournemouth on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports, and at Fulham next weekend, will be enough to secure a place in the top five, but currently they are outside of the Champions League qualification places.
“We need four points to be in the Champions League, that is enough and everyone has to be aware of that,” said Guardiola.
“It’s important to qualify for other teams apart from Newcastle, who won the Carabao Cup, Liverpool won the Premier League, Man City won the Community Shield. The other teams didn’t win trophies.
Tuesday 20th May 7:00pm
Kick off 8:00pm
“Chelsea can win a title (Conference League) and Man Utd and Tottenham can win the Europa League; the other teams are expecting to qualify for the Champions League. It’s important for every club.
“We have to come back and we have to recover quickly. Yes, it is better to play against Bournemouth having won the FA Cup because victories help winning, but now we have to prove how strong we are.
“And from my point of view, we have two massively important games for the short-term future of this club.”
‘I’m thinking we’re going to qualify’
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola spoke about his confrontation with Dean Henderson after the FA Cup final and aimed a dig at Crystal Palace time-wasting, but admitted this was not the reason his team lost the game
Victory over Bournemouth would lift City into third in the table heading into their final fixture at Craven Cottage.
Defeat would leave them sixth and with just one point separating the teams from third to seventh in a tight battle for top-five places.
City started this season bidding to win a fifth consecutive Premier League title. It would have appeared unfathomable that they would end the season scrambling for a Champions League spot.
“I have been in the Champions League in the last 13, 14, 15 years, I don’t remember,” added Guardiola. “If we are not, then we don’t deserve it, we’ll play in the Europa League. It is what it is.
“I’m thinking we’re going to qualify. I control my mind and I think that. We need two victories or four points.
“The first step is to finish in third position in the Premier League. That is my target.
“We will give everything to try and do it.”
Will De Bruyne start in final Etihad match?
Kevin De Bruyne shows frustration as time winds down on Manchester City at Wembley
Meanwhile, Guardiola has offered no guarantee that Kevin De Bruyne will start his final home game for Manchester City.
De Bruyne, who is leaving the club when his contract expires this summer, is set to play at the Etihad Stadium for one last time in a City shirt against Bournemouth on Tuesday.
Guardiola said: “What Kevin wants is that we win the game to qualify for the Champions League next season. That is what Kevin wants. It cannot be otherwise.
“I’m going to decide the best so that we can have the best chance to win the game against Bournemouth.”
Regardless of the minutes De Bruyne plays, the club are planning to pay tribute after the game to one of the greatest players of the Premier League era.
De Bruyne, whose successes in a glorious decade at City include six league titles and the Champions League, will receive a guard of honour from team-mates and backroom staff before a light show with pyrotechnics.
Kevin De Bruyne says he is ‘maybe’ talking to Premier League clubs as he answers questions on his future after Manchester City’s loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final
Marie and Jon Bell, wife and son respectively of former City player Colin Bell, will also be in attendance for a presentation to the 33-year-old.
With De Bruyne not expected to be involved at the Club World Cup, next Sunday’s game at Fulham would then be his last for the club.
Guardiola now needs to lift his side from the disappointment of their defeat by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
He said: “We played a really good final but not enough to win it and now we have the last two games.
“We need four points to be in the Champions League next year and this is enough (motivation). Everyone has to be aware of that.”
Guardiola says he has not watched Saturday’s game back.
He said: “I didn’t see the game. My focus is Bournemouth. Maybe tonight I will review certain images but last night and this morning I was focused on Bournemouth.”
Guardiola insists he has not designated a penalty taker despite Omar Marmoush missing from the spot at Wembley after top-scorer Erling Haaland surprisingly passed up the opportunity.
He said: “I didn’t talk with them. We train this afternoon. It’s so clear – the taker has to score a goal.”
Will Pep rotate after Wembley disappointment?
Erling Haaland passed up the chance to take a penalty at Wembley
Sky Sports News’ Ben Ransom:
“Guardiola has been saying for a number of weeks about how important these matches were at the end of the season. He’s already called them a series of cup finals so having lost the cup final, the one where they could have got their hands on silverware, then that will have knocked the wind out of this group.
“The last time out in the Premier League they were held to that 0-0 draw at Southampton which everyone expected them to win.
“It’s added some jeopardy on this game now which is really difficult. When you consider what has been taken out of the players at the weekend, not just confidence but it was more than 100 minutes on the big Wembley pitch on a hot day in London. That will have sapped them and you imagine Pep will have to rotate.
“There were huge sentimental reasons to play Kevin De Bruyne in the FA Cup final and now in the final match at the Etihad.
“It’s been a remarkable era of success for him but he played more than 100 minutes at the weekend. He’s been used sparingly in recent seasons because of his injury issues. Starting two games in four days seems like a big ask even if the club and fans will be turning out to pay tribute to him.
“Either way, start, come off the bench or not even play, Guardiola was clear that De Bruyne will want what’s best for Man City.”
‘The most difficult result we need is vs Man City’
Bournemouth face an uphill fight to seal European football. They currently sit 11th and are vying with Fulham, Brentford and Brighton for an eighth-placed finish, which could be enough for a UEFA Conference League spot.
Boss Andoni Iraola added: “We need I don’t know how many results to go our way, but from all those results, I think the most difficult one is ours (on Tuesday) because we are playing away at City, who are playing for Champions League.
Andoni Iraola backs centre back Dean Huijsen to be a success at Real Madrid despite being only 20 years-old and having spent one season at Bournemouth
“So it’s not a scenario that we want, but it’s the one that we have right now. It’s true that after (Crystal Palace’s win over City in) the FA Cup final the chances to get Europe are limited.”
Alex Scott will miss out at the Etihad Stadium after fracturing his jaw in last week’s home defeat to Aston Villa.
The Cherries midfielder has had a mask fitted and it remains to be seen if he will feature in his side’s final home league game against Leicester next week.
Watch Man City vs Bournemouth on Tuesday live on Sky Sports from 7pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League; kick-off 8pm.
Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season
From next season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.
This news was originally published on this post .
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