Man City have been handed a perfect Premier League opportunity
Manchester City could not have asked for a better opportunity in the Premier League as they look to end the season with momentum
At times this season, it felt like Manchester City's luck was never going to change. Whatever Pep Guardiola or the players tried, they couldn't stop themselves falling off the cliff they had built over the past eight seasons.
As the clocks have gone forward though, the Blues have begun to step into more and more daylight. Since the March international break, it is seven wins and a draw in all competitions. Chuck in the draw with Brighton immediately before that and it is their best run of form since the beginning of the campaign when hopes were still high.
It hasn't all been straightforward in those games, with the home game against Palace standing out in particular. At 2-0 down in a game where they should have been further behind, Champions League qualification looked in real jeopardy.
However, Kevin De Bruyne led the revival and City have not looked back. In recent weeks, Guardiola has been delighted with a system that has felt like his old team are more like their old selves even if they are not fully back to their best.
The wins have booked them a place in the FA Cup Final and also pushed them to the brink of a top-five finish that will confirm their place in the Champions League next season. For the first time in a while, they can look up rather than down.
And as a result of their form, the fixtures have handed them the perfect Premier League weekend. Results from their rivals have set up a situation where the two teams directly above them are playing each other next Sunday, and the two teams directly below them are as well.
Should Arsenal drop points at Anfield against newly-crowned champions Liverpool, City can move level on points in second if they are able to win their game. As the calendar would have it, they are away to already-relegated Southampton on the Saturday.
Even if Mikel Arteta's men are able to inflict a second straight defeat on Liverpool, at least one of the teams directly below the Blues will drop points. Newcastle and Chelsea, both a point behind City with three games to go, face off at St James' Park to give City the opportunity to move four points ahead of one of them or three points ahead of them both if it is a draw.
Forest have an easy home game against Leicester where they will expect to return to winning ways, but Villa have a tricky away tie at Bournemouth who are locked in a fight for European football. If you were picking a fixture this weekend, you would want Forest's or City's.
If City were picking a perfect weekend of games to push them towards the finish line of a top-five finish, it wouldn't look too different to this one. As much as the fans would enjoy pipping Arsenal to second place, in practical terms the more teams they are ahead of the fewer can beat them to a Champions League place for next season.
Whatever happens above them, all the Blues need to do is beat Southampton to improve their chances of reaching their goal with just two weekends to go. Three points will mean one win from their last two games will likely clinch it, although a win and a draw would make it a certainty.
After a tough season, it finally feels like City are in a position where they can make things happen to other teams rather than being held hostage to what their opponents are doing.
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