English Premier League club Manchester City have named Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola as their new manager from July, hoping the Spaniard can emulate the glory years he enjoyed at Barcelona.
One moment of attacking brilliance and a late Sergio Aguero strike gave Premier League holders Manchester City a winning start to their title defence as they eased past Newcastle United 2-0 away on Sunday.
A week later than they would have preferred Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions on Sunday as second-placed Manchester United suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat by bottom club West Bromwich Albion.
The next instalment of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's mind games with Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini and Arsenal's chance for redemption against Liverpool provide the backdrop to a mouth-watering FA Cup fifth round.
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
ManchesterCity's season began to unravel when Kevin de Bruyne missed 10 matches with a knee injury but as he showed when he scored against Paris St Germain on Tuesday, anything is possible with him back in the team.
Pep Guardiola to be a hard task master who will extract the best out of a side that has shone domestically but struggled against Europe's elite.
Barcelona dismissed any notion they are a declining force when they won 2-0 at Manchester City on Tuesday to virtually guarantee their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the seventh successive season.
Two moments of magic in the space of two second-half minutes helped Manchester City to a 3-1 victory over Sunderland in the English League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.
There was controversy about West Ham's equaliser when Mexican striker Javier Hernandez stooped to head in from close range but replays suggested the ball went in off his arm.
Arsenal finally halted their seven-match losing streak, to go up to ninth spot with 22 points from 16 games in the Premier League table on Monday.
Argentina striker Sergio Aguero said on Thursday that he will leave ManchesterCity to return home to his first club Independiente after his contract expires following the 2018 World Cup.
Real were smarting from a surprise 1-1 draw at struggling Elche in their last match and were missing captain Sergio Ramos, who was out with a stomach bug.
Champions Manchester United will travel to Swansea City for their first Premier League match under new manager David Moyes while Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City are at home to Newcastle United on August 17.
Manchester City started their Premier League campaign in scintillating fashion on Monday with a stylish 4-0 win at home to 10-man Newcastle United that will ring alarm bells for the rest of their title rivals.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is "disrespectful" and a "bully" for describing Arsene Wenger "a specialist in failure", former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson said on Sunday.
Manchester City rediscovered their swagger to beat Chelsea 2-0 and move into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday, Manuel Pellegrini winning the battle of tactical wits against Jose Mourinho.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Sergio Aguero was acclaimed as "the best striker in the Premier League" by manager Manuel Pellegrini after his hat-trick helped Manchester City beat Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Manchester City's new manager should be announced within the next two weeks, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said on the Premier League club's website.
While Pep Guardiola has brought two Premier League titles, smashed records and produced some of the most glorious football the club's fans have ever seen -- European success remains elusive to his team.
Antonio Conte made an uncharacteristic hash of his team selection against Bayern Munich last week and the Juventus coach cannot afford to get it wrong again as his side chase a two-goal deficit on Wednesday.
Manchester City marched into the quarter-finals of the Champions League
When Swedish champions Malmo take on mighty Real Madrid on Wednesday they do so knowing they would probably have to sell their entire squad just to be able to afford a single player from the bench of the Spanish giants.
Only one point separates the two sides with Chelsea on 31 and City on 30 but Antonio Conte's impact at Stamford Bridge appears greater than his City counterpart Pep Guardiola's at the Etihad.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho stoked up his war of words with Manuel Pellegrini on Monday by questioning the Manchester City manager's sums.
'I will not be on the bench until I am 60 or 65 years old. I feel the process of my goodbye has already started'
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has lavished praise on incoming Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, comparing the Spaniard with former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
After the spectacular implosion of the Jose Mourinho regime at Chelsea, there is now just one world-beating coach left in the global game with a glittering curriculum vitae unsullied by the stain of any striking failure. Step forward then Pep Guardiola...
Holders Barcelona squandered a chance to all but seal a probable King's Cup semi-final showdown with Real Madrid when they conceded a late goal to draw 2-2 at home to 10-man Malaga in their last-eight first-leg match on Wednesday.
Real Madrid are hoping the fit-again Cristiano Ronaldo can lead them into the Champions League final although strike partner Karim Benzema remains a doubt for Wednesday's return match with Manchester City.
Images from Sunday's Premier League matches.
It is time to deliver for Paris St Germain and Manchester City as the two mega-rich teams prepare to lock horns in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart generated some more negative headlines after a last minute mix-up with Matija Nastasic allowed Chelsea's Fernando Torres to score a late winner in a 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Manchester City made the most of a case of mistaken identity and kept alive their faint title hopes thanks to a much-needed 3-0 victory over 10-man West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.
Manchester City are about to find out whether Raheem Sterling has the ability to justify his enormous price tag or is just another over-rated young English footballer motivated purely by his bank balance.
Bundesliga club Schalke 04 have signed Manchester City defender Matija Nastasic on loan until the end of the season.
Jamie Vardy sent a screaming reminder that leaders Leicester City are in the Premier league title race for the long haul with a sensational strike in a 2-0 win over Liverpool on Tuesday.
ManchesterCity cannot afford to make any more mistakes if they hope to launch a serious bid for the Premier League title this campaign, captain Vincent Kompany has said.
Salomon Rondon scored twice in Malaga's 4-2 win over Rayo Vallecano on Thursday to vault the home side into the hunt for the Champions League qualification places.
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