The Manchester City loss against Real Madrid in the second leg of their round of 16 tie in the UEFA Champions League eliminated them from the competition. The Cityzens lost 1-2 on Tuesday, March 17, to lose the tie 1-5 on aggregate.
The Manchester City loss against Madrid also makes Guardiola’s position a bit uncomfortable at the helm of the club. The Spaniard failed to win any title last season, and another trophyless season might not be excused at a club with high standards like Manchester City.
Getting eliminated from the competition means that Manchester City are now alive in three competitions. Hence, the Manchester City loss makes the EFL Cup final this weekend really important.
Will The Manchester City Loss Lead to Another Trophyless Season?
Manchester City are adrift of Arsenal by nine points with a match in hand in Premier League. They will face Liverpool in the last eight of FA Cup, which is yet another tough match for them. Should the Cityzens miss out on the titles in both the above competitions, they will only have the EFL Cup final to rely on to win a title. The Manchester City loss should make them even more desperate to win that match.
As of now, Arsenal are the favourites to win their first league title in 22 years. However, City will have a go at them in April, winning which might enable them to reduce the gap with the Gunners to three points.
Still, the Gunners are having their destiny in their own hands. Manchester City will have to rely on other teams to do them a favour by taking points off Arsenal.
Winning Sunday’s final is not only important for Pep Guardiola’s men for ending their trophy drought, which started last season.
Winning the match will also allow Manchester City to hand the Cityzens some additional psychological advantage ahead of their encounter with the North Londoners in April. The Manchester City loss to Real means that they will now have to have some extra focus on the EFL Cup final.
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Arsenal Will Have Champions League Football To Worry About
The Gunners have reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League, which means that they will have an extra competition to worry about. Playing in the latter stages of the Champions League is undoubtedly additional pressure on Mikel Arteta’s men.
Man City are now free from that pressure, which might be a blessing in disguise for them. That will allow them to focus solely on the Premier League, with the FA Cup and EFL Cup providing additional opportunities for them to win titles.
Winning in the EFL Cup final on Sunday, March 22, will allow the Cityzens to have a title in their kitty going into the new month. The month of April will test Arsenal a lot and is likely to make or break their season.
Should they lose on Sunday, they will be apprehensive going into the new month, as they have found the pressure of winning the Premier League title too difficult to handle in the past. Arteta’s men, however, will have a spring in their steps if they are able to win their first trophy in almost six years, if they beat Manchester City on Sunday. It remains to be seen whether they are able to do that.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
Recording Date: 17.03.2026
