After defeating Dortmund 4-2 on aggregate, Man City are officially into the Champions League semi-final.
Awaiting them in the penultimate round is PSG – with Chelsea and Real Madrid also jostling for a place in the final.
Man City and PSG are considered as the top two clubs remaining in the tournament – with the winner of their clash tipped to scoop the trophy overall.
Ahead of the highly-anticipated first leg on April 28, here’s what you need to know.
League positions
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Typically, the Premier League table feels like an all-out fist fight you’d watch while betting on the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, as it’s ordinarily highly competitive. Not this year, however, as Man City are running away with the title – currently with an 11-point lead over Manchester United.
PSG are all too familiar with double-digit leads in their league as they’ve finished each of the past three years with such advantage. But 2020-21 is a different story. At the moment, PSG are runners-up in Ligue 1, three points behind Lille.
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These divergent league paths partly explain why City are slight favourites to edge PSG, at least according to the online bet-makers. Few teams in the world have played to the calibre of Guardiola’s team since the season began.
Pressure busts pipes or makes diamonds
The weight of the world is seemingly on City right now. Not only is a Champions League and Premier League championship in their crosshairs, but so is an FA Cup and League Cup. No club in history has swept all four tournaments in a single year.
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You can look at this pursuit of history in one of two ways: Either the pressure will force Man City to falter in at least one of their trophy chases. Or, on the flip side, City will feed off the pressure and pull off the unprecedented quadruple win.
Speaking of pressure, PSG have developed a reputation — whether fair or not — for choking in pressure-cooked moments, especially come Champions League time. But is that still fair to say?
In the quarter-finals, PSG eliminated Bayern Munich, the reigning champions who happened to defeat them in last year’s final. Give credit where credit is due, PSG went on the road and pulled off a gutsy 3-2 win with two goals from Kylian Mbappe – winning on aggregate despite a 1-0 defeat in the second tie. The PSG of old may not have held on.
Make no mistake, City and PSG are desperate to get their hands on a Champions League title – a trophy which has so far eluded both these clubs despite aggressively spending over the last decade.
Who has the edge on the pitch?
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Any discussion about PSG begins with their attack. Mbappe and Neymar are as good as it gets in terms of a football frontline. Any magic from them, even for a split second, could create problems for Man City’s defence – especially if City aren’t tactful in possession.
Nevertheless, we can’t overlook that City should be at full-strength against PSG. Paris dodged a bullet last round with Robert Lewandowski — one the world’s top footballers — nursing an injury and missing both matches for Bayern. No such issues are expected for City.
All in all, this semi-final tie feels like it could be a trophy decider. Both PSG and City are red-hot for different reasons – and they’ve never had a better chance to win the coveted cup. We’ll see what unfolds two weeks from now when both collide.
Sport
Marc Skinner signs new contract to keep him at Manchester United until 2027
Danny Jones
Manchester United Women manager Marc Skinner has signed off on a new deal with the Red Devils, accepting a contract that will see him stay at the club until at least 2027.
Approaching half a decade in charge of Man United’s women’s team, Marc Skinner has now committed his future to the side which helped the club to a historic male and female FA Cup double and qualified for Champions League for the first time.
Confirmed via social media on Wednesday, 2 April, the club shared the news that the 42-year-old has put pen to paper on a new two-year contract with an option to extend for a further 12 months.
His side is also currently third in the WSL, and although Chelsea remain the perennial favourites, they are continuing to push harder for the title each season following their second-placed finish in 22/23.
Speaking on the new deal, Brummy-born Skinner wrote: “It has been an absolute privilege to serve as head coach for this fantastic football club for the past four years, and I am delighted to be extending my time in the role for at least a further two years.
“We’re building a young, hungry team with the aim of challenging consistently for further trophies. There is still more hard work ahead, including this season, but the players and staff have already shown their determination to succeed, and I’m looking forward to us taking the next steps in our journey together.”
The former Birmingham and Orlando Pride head coach has been a somewhat divisive figure around Leigh Sports Village and Old Trafford during his tenure in recent years, with some vocal supporters even calling ‘Skinner Out’ last year.
He was ultimately kept on following the 4-0 thrashing of Spurs in the Women’s FA Cup, but many fans are still unhappy with the amount of progress made under him.
In addition to a lack of silverware throughout his time in charge, with many criticising his tactics, star talents like Alessia Russo, Mary Earps, Nikita Parris, Lucía Garcíaand captain Katie Zelem have all departed during this time. Others just haven’t felt the same since Casey Stoney left back in 2021.
Even gave him a photoshoot. Right wrong on not a significant part of the fan base hates Marc skinner. It’s tone deaf to assume we all celebrate on socials. I would turn the comments off tbh. https://t.co/VIarfUAkoJ
Nevertheless, Marc Skinner is staying for the immediate future, and there are still plenty who back him and the work he’s done, or at least the direction he is looking to go in.
Speaking on the extension, United‘s technical director Jason Wilcox said: “Marc’s record since taking charge speaks for itself, having delivered our first major women’s silverware and firmly established us among the leading teams in the WSL.
“After a major overhaul last summer, we have an exciting, developing squad ready to compete for further success, and we are convinced that Marc is the right coach to lead that process.”
COO Collette Roche went on to insist that “building a successful and popular women’s team is an important part of our wider, football-first strategy for the club” and that they hope Skinner will continue to contribute in placing “Manchester United at the forefront of growth in the women’s game.”
Manchester City’s Nathan Aké donates piano to grassroots music venue
Thomas Melia
Footballer and Manchester City star Nathan Aké has donated a piano to an iconic city centre grassroots venue in Manchester.
To celebrate ‘International Piano Day’, the Dutch defender has teamed up with legendary instrument-makers Casio by donating a state-of-the-art piano in one very lucky music venue.
Aké and Casio are donating pianos across the UK through their joint project titled ‘Playing For Change’.
The iconic grassroots venue that’s receiving this prestigious instrument is none other than Band on the Wall, which has been pumping out live music under this name since 1975.
Processed with VSCO with kp5 presetProcessed with VSCO with kp5 presetCredit: Supplied
This new addition will help the venue as a whole, but more importantly, it will come in very handy for their Saturday Music Club.
Running every weekend, this session helps young people discover music and develop their skills, now via the fantastic PX-S7000 Casio piano.
Band on the Wall is a much-loved and adored Manchester city centremusic institution, and they aren’t the only place benefitting from the Manchester city star and Casio.
So far, 12 disadvantaged schools in the UK have benefitted from this joint effort from Aké and Casio, all of which were surprised with their very own digital piano.
This newest partnership won’t come as a surprise to fans of the Man City centre-back, as he’s been known to play the piano since teaching himself in 2020, and now he’s spreading his love of music to communities nationwide.
Neil Evans, Head of Casio EMI, commented:“It’s exciting for us to support Band on the Wall with a gift of a brand new Privia piano.”
“We’re hoping it’s used often and inspires people into learning the piano and increasing their access to the joys of music, which is at the core of Playing For Change.”
As for Aké, while he might be sidelined for the foreseeable following surgery on a fractured foot, the Netherlands international will hopefully be able to get lots of practice playing those keys.
The Manc -
14th April 2021 
