Villa Game Like A Final For Man City - Guardiola

Manchester City's Premier League crippled against Aston Villa has been billed arsenic "a final" by Pep Guardiola because Champions League qualification is connected nan line.

The Premier League's apical 5 will suffice for Europe's elite nine title adjacent play and pinch Arsenal successful a beardown position to seal their spot alongside Liverpool, a fascinating title is processing pinch nan adjacent 5 clubs separated by only 2 points.

With 5 games remaining, City caput into Tuesday's lucifer astatine Etihad Stadium 4th successful nan array while Unai Emery's Villa are seventh, but way by conscionable 1 point.

Villa progressed further than City - who fell astatine nan play-off shape - successful nan Champions League this season, reaching nan quarter-finals earlier being edged retired by Paris-St Germain.

"They are a contender to suffice for nan Champions League," said City head Guardiola.

"You spot nan crippled they played against my friend Luis Enrique [PSG boss] - wow, I was really, really impressed.

"They tin play debased artifact and play away, but erstwhile they determine to go, pinch nan weapons they have, nan velocity they have, nan set-pieces, they are incredibly good organised.

"It is simply a last and we request our group because I deliberation our group want nan Champions League adjacent play again and hopefully they tin thief america from nan first minute.

"Sometimes we are sloppy, sometimes we are not playing good, now we request them desperately to support us, to make sound and beryllium location each nan clip because it's perfectly a last for us."

City and Villa could besides meet successful nan FA Cup last successful May if they advancement done their semi-finals - against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace respectively - astatine Wembley this weekend.

One of Villa's stand-out players during this run has been Morgan Rogers, who was erstwhile astatine City.

The 22-year-old joined Guardiola's broadside successful 2019 from West Bromwich Albion but grounded to make a first-team appearance, spending clip connected indebtedness astatine Lincoln City, Bournemouth and Blackpool.

He signed for Villa past February from Middlesbrough and his stellar performances person seen him lend 14 goals and 13 assists this term, arsenic good arsenic earning an England call-up.

Guardiola said: "He was successful nan 2nd squad and trained sometimes pinch us. [From] nan glimpses, we could spot something, he could do it.

"The effect successful Villa has been [incredible] - what a player, truthful we had an exceptional subordinate here."