Manchester City: April 2024 Preview

Manchester City kept pressure on current league rivals Arsenal and Liverpool in March. Last month's results show that the Sky Blues are very much in contention for this season's English Premier League title. Elsewhere, the Mancunians made progress in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, where they will hope to retain these titles.

April 2024 will be a defining month for the Cityzens. They will play eight matches across three competitions. Failure in any of these fixtures may result in a blow to their chances of retaining silverware.

Manchester City will start April 2024 by hosting Aston Villa in the EPL on Wednesday, April 3. The Villans defeated the Sky Blues earlier this season in what was a cagey affair. City were not themselves on the day, and a goal late in the second half saw Villa win the match. The Sky Blue will hope to win this fixture as they continue to fight Arsenal and Liverpool for the 2023/2024 EPL title.

Three days later, Manchester City will travel to Crystal Palace for a match on Saturday, April 6. During the reserve fixture this season, the Sky Blues were in control for most of the game against the Eagles. A lapse in focus, however, saw Palace get back into the match, and despite City's dominance, the game ended in a draw. The Sky Blues will hope to have learned from the previous affair.

After these two EPL matches, Manchester City will shift their focus to the UEFA Champions League. They will travel to Real Madrid on Tuesday, April 9, for the first leg of the quarter-finals. The Sky Blues last faced Los Blancos in the 2022/2023 UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals, which ended 1-1 in Madrid.

Following this encounter, Manchester City will return back to the EPL as they host Luton Town on Saturday, April 18. The Sky Blues narrowly defeated the Hatters in the reserve fixture of this match earlier this season. More recently, City cruised past Luton in the FA Cup's Fifth Round.

After this EPL match, Manchester City will return to the UEFA Champions League for the second leg of the quarter-finals against Real Madrid. The game will be held on Wednesday, April 17. During the 2022/2023 UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals, the Sky Blues defeated Los Blancos 4-0 in a very dominant affair. City will hope to replicate this strong performance in Manchester against Real.

The important month of April will then introduce the FA Cup Semi-Final, where Manchester City will face Chelsea at Wembley. The game will be held on Saturday, April 20. These two clubs have previously put on two tightly contested matches this season. The first match between these two sides this season was in November, which ended 4-4 in Stamford Bridge. The reverse fixture was held at the Etihad Stadium in February, which ended 1-1. Different from these two EPL encounters, however, the FA Cup Semi-Final cannot end in a draw.

After the FA Cup Semi-Final, Manchester City will have two road games at the end of April. They will first travel to Brighton and Hove Albion on Thursday, April 25. Manchester City will then end April 2024 with an away match at Nottingham Forest, which will be played on Sunday, April 28.

Overall, this will define Manchester City's season. Should the Sky Blues succeed in most of these matches, they will find themselves in a good position heading into May with potential silverware on the line. However, failure to earn important results would see City miss out on trophies this season. This is particularly the case against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals and Chelsea in the FA Cup Semi-Final.

April 2024 will be a demanding month for the Sky Blues. Will Manchester City come closer to retaining silverware this season? Or will they falter during this pivotal moment in the season? Time will tell how the Cityzens will fare in April 2024.