After several setbacks and frustrations during the 2024/2025 season, March 2025 presented some positive outcomes for the Sky Blues.
They defeated Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup’s Fifth Round, and they defeated AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup Quarterfinals. The results mean Manchester City will play in their seventh consecutive FA Cup Semifinal. While this statistic is impressive, the Sky Blues hope to cap off the season with an FA Cup victory. Anything else would be deemed disappointing.
As for the English Premier League, Manchester City continued to struggle. The Sky Blues lost away at Nottingham Forest, and then they drew with Brighton and Hove Albion a few days later. City’s results mean they sit in fifth place in the EPL table with nine matches to go this season. Under normal circumstances, should the league table finish in its current standing, this would see Manchester City miss out on a UEFA Champions League place next season.
But there is a new development. Due to the current form of English teams competing in European places, as well as how other European clubs are performing, there is a possibility that the EPL will receive an additional Champions League spot for next season. If this were to occur, then the team that finished fifth at the end of the 2024/2025 season would also qualify for the Champions League.
To ensure that they compete in the Champions League next season, however, City will need to earn additional results. Otherwise, if they continue to falter, then they will miss out.
With this information in mind, what does April 2025 entail? In short, the Sky Blues will have five matches across two competitions.
Manchester City will begin the month by hosting Leicester City. The match will be played on Wednesday, 2 April. The Sky Blues defeated the Foxes earlier this season. Since then, City have continued to fight for a Champions League place while Leicester have struggled at the bottom end of the table. The Foxes will know that they will need to earn results quickly if they have any hope of avoiding relegation this season, and they will look to push the hosts on Wednesday.
Following this encounter, Manchester City will travel across town to face their rivals over the weekend. Manchester United will host Manchester City on Sunday, 6 April. The Red Devils earned an unlikely and last-minute victory during the reverse fixture earlier this season, and the Sky Blues will hope to avoid a similar outcome.
After the match against their crosstown rivals, Manchester City will return home. They will host Crystal Palace on Saturday, 12 April. The Eagles have recently acted as a bogey team for City, and the Sky Blues will hope to avoid additional unpleasantries against these opponents.
Manchester City will conclude their EPL action in April at Everton. The match will be held on Saturday, 19 April. The Toffees forced the Sky Blues to a draw earlier this season. Since that fixture, they have earned important results that will likely see them avoid relegation. Nonetheless, they should still be treated as a difficult opponent.
Following this run of EPL fixtures, Manchester City will end the month of April with the FA Cup Semifinal. They will travel to Wembley to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday, 26 April. City and Forest have already split their matches this season. Manchester City won at the Etihad 2-0 in December 2024 before losing to Forest 1-0 at the City Ground in March 2025. This fixture will have more meaning, however, as the winner will advance to the FA Cup Final.
At this stage in the season, this match will define Manchester City’s performance in 2024/2025. The Sky Blues are already out of the Carabao Cup as well as the UEFA Champions League. They will also not retain the EPL title. Therefore, the only way that they can still earn silverware this season is by winning the FA Cup. Should they defeat Forest, they will be one result away from earning another title. If they cannot, then the 2024/2025 season will be deemed as a failure. There will be a lot of pressure riding into this game.
In short, April 2025 will be an important month for the Sky Blues. Should they earn a set of results, then they will find themselves closer to securing a spot in the Champions League this season. They will also have the critical FA Cup Semifinal match. But if the Sky Blues stumble in these fixtures, then they may fail to qualify for the Champions League next season, and they may end the 2024/2025 season without silverware.
A lot will be riding for City this month. Time will tell if they will prevail in April 2025.