As the English season winds down, there’s still plenty at stake before the curtain finally falls while seasons in the USA and Japan are just getting started.
Notepads/digital alternatives out then…
Manchester City
Swansea v MCFC, Sunday 17 May 1.30pm BST
City’s penultimate Premier League game of 2014/15 requires a lengthy journey over to Wales to face an in-form Swansea, who will still be keen to take points in the hope of securing a Europa League berth.
With Manuel Pellegrini’s men still chasing second spot it’s sure to be a hotly-contested encounter with no sign of metaphorical flip flops or suncream.
Last weekend’s 6-0 triumph over QPR combined with Arsenal’s loss on Monday has left City in a strong position to secure second, but it was Sundayās opponents who inflicted defeat on the Gunners at the Emirates and they come into the game on the back of a rich vein of form themselves.
Frank Lampard, who spent time on loan with the Swans early on his career, has warned of the threat posed by Garry Monk and his men.
Lampard told mcfc.co.uk: “They’ll be confident, they’ll play good football and this is their last home game of the season so off the back of a very good season, they don’t have much to lose.
“They are still looking to finish as high as they can so it will be a tough game for us. I’ve a lot of respect for Garry Monk because it wasn’t an easy job to go into.
“Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup had done really before him and I suppose there was a feeling that maybe it would be difficult to continue that momentum.
“He’s a young manager and former player so a few people tipped them to struggle this year but if anything, they’ve kicked on again.”
Need your appetite whetting ahead of the weekend? Our talking points feature should do just that, with subplots including European ambition, youth versus experience and another personal record on offer for Sergio Aguero…
Plus we’ll have all our usual build-up over the next few days, including defining games, opposition view and the manager’s press conference. Basically, we’ve got you covered…
The game is live on Sky Sports 1 in the UK. Click here for a full list of broadcasters showing the game around the world.
MCWFC
Summer break time for Manchester City Women, as the FAWSL enters a hiatus until July to make room for the Women’s World Cup in Canada. Five City representatives will be making the trip as part of the England squad – announced last Monday.
Steph Houghton will skipper the side, and she will be joined by teammates Toni Duggan, Jill Scott, Lucy Bronze and keeper Karen Bardsley in the 23-strong party.
āWeāve all worked so hard to get here. We canāt wait to get started,” declared Houghton after the news was announced at the Canadian High Commission in Trafalgar Square.
England will be aiming to go further than their 2011 quarter final exit and have been drawn against France, Colombia and Mexico for the group stages – the Lionesses kick off their campaign against the French on 9 June in Moncton.
You’ll be able to follow their progress every step of the way right here on mcfc.co.uk.
Elite Development Squad
City EDS v Southampton, Saturday 16 May 2pm BST
Fresh from a week in which they lifted a first trophy of their young careers, Patrick Vieira’s men are back on the Academy Stadium pitch in domestic league action.
The EDS were crowned International Premier League Cup Champions with victory against Porto last Friday night in the inaugural year of the competition.
āFor them to win the trophy it shows them that if you work hard you can achieve a reward,ā Vieira told CityTV. āI feel really happy, really proud.
āItās a special moment, Iām really pleased and really happy because the players deserve it and as a staff I think weāve been working really well.”
Midfielder Jack Byrne added: “All the hard work since Patrick’s been here has really paid off. We had to dig deep, and it was a hard game against a very good side but delighted we could get the win. It’s a great feeling.
“They play in a league which is the equivalent of the Championship in Portugal, so to show we can compete with teams like that and beat them really sends a marker out.”
A young u21 side were defeated by local rivals Manchester United in midweek to end hopes of a league and cup double in Vieira’s second season at the helm, but the first half display in particular will have given the boss hope that his charges can end the domestic campaign in good form with just three games remaining.
This is the first of two games to be played against the Saints at this level between now and the end of the season before the second Manchester derby concludes the campaign.
twitter updates and a match report after full time.
City u18s
City u18s v Everton, Saturday 16 May 11am BST
With just two games left of the campaign, Jason Wilcox’s young side welcome a title-chasing Everton to the CFA. With focus firmly on the FA Youth Cup since the split from regional leagues into a national tiered system in March, Wilcox has fielded very young sides including a number of players that remain eligible for u15s football.
However, last time out they showed steel and spirit to recover from 3-0 down to earn an unlikely point away at Chelsea.
Now they host a young Toffees side who can snatch the u18 title with a victory – on the other side of the coin, every Middlesbrough fan will be supporting City, who can hand them the trophy by securing a point.
Wilcox will want to end the campaign on a high, but is likely to keep faith and continue to give youngsters a taste of u18 football before the summer break.
We’ll have goal updates over on twitter and a match report on mcfc.co.uk shortly after full time.
New York City
NYCFC v Chicago Fire Friday 15 May 7pm EDT (Midnight BST)
Jason Kreis’ men return to Yankee Stadium on Friday looking to put derby defeat behind them with victory over Chicago Fire.
City’s sister side will also be out for a modicum of revenge – they went down by a single strike to the Fire last month after a determined display, despite being reduced to ten men after just 23 minutes of the contest.
However, manager Kreis is predicting a very different contest this time around.
“It’s difficult because we got the early ejection and had to play down a man so long,” he told NYCFC.com. “We saw there were some gaps to be played in and some ways to get at them even when we were down a man.
“At home it needs to be a different affair. We need to be the team that’s the aggressor at the beginning of the match and we need to go after this.”
Hard work every day to get better. #NYCFC pic.twitter.com/gDO5IRX15m
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) May 13, 2015
The game is live on UDN in the USA, and you can follow along live on twitter from anywhere else in the world.
Melbourne City
The curtain came down on Melbourne City’s 2014/15 season after a defiant performance in the A-League Finals Series was not quite enough to see off Melbourne Victory in the semi-finals last weekend.
However, John Van’t Schip’s side made history this year – the club had never before reached the last four of the competition, and planning has already started to get even better in 2015/16.
"We want to make more steps than this year, and we will bounce back." Read more: http://t.co/IoH3RBB4ff pic.twitter.com/PG5zRt4omr
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) May 10, 2015
The new season is due to kick off in October 2015.
Yokohama F Marinos
Shimizu S-Pulse v Yokohama F Marinos, Saturday 16 May 3pm JST (7am BST)
Yokohama F Marinos v Vissell Kobe, Wednesday 20 May 7.30pm JST (11.30am BST)
Two wins in the last seven days have catapulted Yokohama up to sixth in the J-League table, and they will be hoping to extend that sequence when they travel to struggling Shimizu S-Pulse on Saturday.
In another busy week in Japan, they then return home for Wednesday’s clash with Vissel Kobe and add to their run of three wins in the last five.
