Manchester City face two potentially season-defining fixtures back-to-back starting against Everton | OneFootball

Manchester City face two tough matches in their next two Premier League fixtures. Today they take on Everton at Goodison Park in what looms as a tough test for Pep Guardiola’s side. After today’s match City will take on Champions League-chasing Aston Villa at the Etihad. The next two games for the world champions have the potential to be season-defining depending on what results they pick up.

For Pep Guardiola’s side, they simply must keep picking up three points. How they play is secondary to that priority. Any dropped points at this stage of the season could have huge ramifications for Manchester City. With Aston Villa, Newcastle, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest also fighting for Champions League qualification, City has to keep winning. They likely won’t have to be perfect over the final six games of the Premier League season, but if they are, they’ll keep their Champions League destiny in their own hands. That’s the goal at this stage of the season and City’s next two matches loom as massive fixtures.

If the could pick up a victory over Everton today and follow that up with a win over Aston Villa it could lay the platform for City’s final four games of the Premier League season. They would also carry a confidence boost into their FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. In a season where Manchester City have battled confidence and form issues all season that potential boost could be pivotal. It will be no easy task for Pep Guardiola’s side to beat Everton and Aston Villa. But they are capable of doing so.

But if City were to lose either game all of a sudden their Champions League destiny may be out of their hands. That’s what makes their next two fixtures potentially season-defining. There is plenty at stake for Pep Guardiola’s side starting today against Everton. They can shape their season and the race for Champions League qualification if they pick up wins over Everton and Villa. But they simply must win today to maintain control of their own destiny.