Key events
Preamble
Manchester City is in danger. Their aura is such that most neutrals have already anointed them champions, although they still need to win their final game against West Ham at the Etihad. There is a simple reason for this: they are very good at football.
City's five titles under Pep Guardiola have included streaks of at least 12 consecutive victories, some under the pressure of knowing a draw could be fatal. The best City can manage this year is nine, but there has been the same sense of inexorability. A pre-Christmas break in Saudi Arabia, during which they kept busy with the idea of becoming world champions, woke City up and since their return their league record is 20 L. 17, W 17, 3 E and 0 defeats.
This is the fifth time in 13 seasons that City go into the final game needing a particular result to win the league. It's a family job that comes with extra reward. City can become the first team in the history of English football to be champions in four consecutive seasons. Huddersfield, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United (twice) made it three in a row.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola are the only managers to have done so. Fergie came close to four in a row on two occasions, but she never got the cigar Pep would be chewing on if everything went according to plan.
We can't ignore those 115 charges lurking in the background and, in time, we may see City's imperial phase differently. For now, the only thing we can say with certainty is that they are an extraordinary football team that is one victory away from achieving a unique feat. And that danger is not what it used to be.
Kick off 4:00 p.m.
