City 11-8 to miss top four after costly derby defeat
PEP GUARDIOLA faces the very real possibility of not managing in the Champions League next season after Manchester City’s spectacular collapse continued with a 1-0 loss to Manchester United at the Etihad on Sunday.
City are now just one point clear of their local rivals, while West Ham are also pushing hard for a Champions League place and bet365 reacted to the defeat by making the Citizens 11-8 not to finish in the top four.
Only seven points have been collected by City in seven Premier League matches since they announced Guardiola would replace Manuel Pellegrini from next term and those came in matches against Aston Villa, Sunderland and Norwich.
Pellegrini’s team, who were 4-11 to win the Premier League after they started the campaign with five straight victories without conceding, are available at 4-6 to finish in the top four.
Injuries have not helped their cause and the treatment table will get busier following problems to Joe Hart and Raheem Sterling on Sunday with Pellegrini suggesting they will be out for three to four weeks.
But there is also a lack of enthusiasm around the Etihad – something that cannot be said of United’s young goalscoring derby hero Marcus Rashford.
The 18-year-old continued his stunning rise up the ranks to score his third Premier League goal with the other two coming against Arsenal so Rashford certainly seems to enjoy the big occasion.
A trip to the European Championship with England would still seem too soon but Hills make the striker only 5-2 to be part of Roy Hodgson’s 23-man travelling party and a large-looking 2-7 to miss out.
Coral are 8-1 that he goes which is far more realistic.
It was a huge win for United, particularly after exiting the Europa League to Liverpool on Thursday and the Red Devils are 2-1 to make the top four.
West Ham can be backed at 13-2 and the derby defeat means second-placed Tottenham are almost certain of playing in next season’s Champions League as they moved ten points clear of City thanks to a 3-0 stroll over Bournemouth at White Hart Lane.
However, Spurs still have their eyes set on the bigger prize of the Premier League title and they are 11-4 to claw back the five-point deficit on leaders Leicester, who were eased slightly to 8-13 following the result.
Harry Kane scored twice and Christian Eriksen was also on target for Spurs and the England forward’s double meant he took a firm grip on the Golden Boot.
Kane moved on to 21 league goals for the campaign – two more than Jamie Vardy – and bet365 rate the top marksman 8-13 to finish as the leading hitman.
Former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe opened the scoring for Sunderland at Newcastle only for Aleksandar Mitrovic to rescue a point for the hosts in a dramatic derby at St James’ Park.
The 1-1 draw did little for either team in their bid to stay in the division and both remain in the bottom three, although the duo each have a game in hand on 17th-placed Norwich.
However, it will have been the Canaries who were chirping most after events on Tyneside with Norwich drifting to 4-5 to be relegated, while Newcastle and Sunderland are 2-5 and 4-9 respectively.
Newcastle have three points to get back on Norwich and Sunderland two and the north-east pair are still to visit Carrow Road this season.
Hills are 7-1 that neither club is relegated, one is 11-10 and both north-east giants can be backed at evens with bet365 to go down.
Newcastle’s next match after the international break is the potential humdinger in Norfolk, while Sunderland have a home clash with West Brom.
It’s a battle that seems destined to go to the finale on May 15 but Liverpool’s league season should be over before that after a second-half collapse at Southampton saw them lose 3-2 after leading 2-0.
Betway were laying Saints at 50-1 before two goals from Sadio Mane and one from Graziano Pelle turned the game on its head.
Liverpool are 12-1 to finish in the top four and Saints are 80-1.
The Merseysiders are 16-1 with Betway to win next season’s title.
