And attention is already turning to Sunday’s huge double-header here at the City Football Academy.
Let’s start, though, with this evening’s game at Goodison Park.
The writers at the Manchester Evening News have filed their predictions on who should make Pep Guardiola’s starting XI – and Stuart Brennan says Gabriel Jesus would be an ideal candidate to freshen things up.
“Pep Guardiola is brimming with options - and it’s just as well with three big games in a week, and very little let-up between now and the end of the season,” Brennan writes.
“He has fresh young legs to bring in at Goodison, and Gabriel Jesus is a good bet - he was unlucky to be left out after his hot scoring streak, and the fact he sparked it with two goals against Everton in the 3-1 Etihad win in December helps. Jesus was also excellent at Goodison last season.”
READ: Bernardo | We’re in great shape for challenge ahead
READ: Guardiola | Title race will go to the wire
Sky Sports’ Jack Wilkinson has previewed the game and believes City should be full of confidence after Sunday’s 3-1 win over Arsenal.
“What condition are City in?” Wilkinson asks.
“The old adage says you’re only as good as your last game which, in City’s case, means the champions are in pretty good shape.
“They were breath-taking at times during Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal, with the Gunners nearly blown away inside the opening 10 minutes at the Etihad.”
MailOnline’s Adam Shergold has assessed the title race developing between City and Liverpool.
And he believes City’s squad depth could be a decisive factor in where the Premier League trophy ends up in May.
“How do you improve on a team that has just racked up 100 points and 106 goals in winning the Premier League crown?” Shergold writes.
“It was testament to Guardiola‘s constant demands for improvement that City further bolstered their already highly impressive attacking options with the £60m purchase of Riyad Mahrez from Leicester last summer.
“Mahrez has featured in 20 Premier League matches, scoring five times, and just gives them that extra option during busy phases of fixtures.
“But City already had formidable squad depth and an enviable chemistry within the team, so there’s no doubt they’ll last the distance.
“They are about to welcome back Benjamin Mendy, who was in outstanding form at left-back before suffering a knee injury, while their only other absentees are Claudio Bravo and Vincent Kompany, both of whom don’t play as much as they did.”
And, finally, the Guardian’s Suzanne Wrack has looked ahead to Sunday’s double-header of games against Chelsea.
Our Women’s’ Super League game against the West London side is followed by a huge Premier League clash at the Etihad as Maurizio Sarri brings his Chelsea team to Manchester for the very first time.
Wrack spoke to Steph Houghton and Gavin Makel ahead of what looks like being a huge day, with Makel keen to see fans arrive early and watch both matches.
He says: “Tennis went on that evolutionary journey with Billie Jean King at its head. People now watch the Wimbledon women’s final just as much as the men’s and people enjoy the women’s in its own right. It’s its own game. We are aligning these fixtures but we also don’t necessarily want to follow the men’s game. Obviously there’s things we can take from it but, as a women’s sport and league, we need to look at ourselves and what works for us.
“If we can get 5% of what goes on over there to come over here next weekend, then that would be a fantastic achievement. And who knows, many of those might be coming to a women’s game for the very first time, witnessing the spectacle, seeing what will be a highly competitive game and come back.”
That’s all for this morning’s Media Watch – but stay with us throughout the day as we bring you all the build up ahead of tonight’s game at Goodsion Park
And don’t forget, you can get live minute-by-minute updates of this evening match via our Matchday Centre.
