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A look at the key questions surrounding Manchester City's quadruple bid

A look at the key questions surrounding Man City's quadruple bid
© Reuters
City are in the Carabao Cup final, the last four of the FA Cup and Champions League and are closing in on the Premier League title.

Manchester City's bid for an unprecedented quadruple remains on track after they secured their place in the Champions League semi-finals with victory over Borussia Dortmund.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what they could accomplish and if they could come unstuck.

Is winning four trophies really realistic?

City won the domestic treble two years ago
City won the domestic treble two years ago (Peter Byrne/PA)

With a maximum of 12 games to go there is still an awful lot for City to do to deliver a quadruple. But Wednesday's win in Dortmund cleared a major hurdle as this is the first time they have advanced beyond the quarter-final stage of the Champions League under Pep Guardiola. Wrapping up the Premier League title appears a formality at this stage, even after last week's surprise home defeat to Leeds, so the focus for fans is on the cup fixtures which will come thick and fast in the coming weeks.

Who else stands in their way?
By the end of the month, City could find themselves on the verge of a historic achievement or picking up the pieces of their dreams. Four of their next six fixtures come in the cups – starting with Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against a Chelsea side revitalised under Thomas Tuchel. A week later they will take on Jose Mourinho's Tottenham in the Carabao Cup final before heading to the French capital to face Paris St Germain in the first leg of their semi-final three days later.

Can anyone really stop them?

Manchester City v Leeds United – Premier League – Etihad Stadium
Leeds celebrated an upset victory at City last week (Michael Regan/PA)

City have been like a juggernaut since the turn of the year, with 28 wins from their last 30 matches. However, as the two defeats to Manchester United and Leeds have shown, there is always the potential for a slip. They face a maximum of 12 more games this season, but six of those would be in cup competitions where there is no margin for error.

So what could go wrong?
Guardiola has tried to shut down talk of the quadruple but if they overcome both Chelsea and Tottenham, it may become hard to ignore. Guardiola has managed his squad well so far, making a handful of changes to keep his players fresh, usually with no obvious loss of momentum. But when he went as far as seven changes for the visit of Leeds it came at a price – a warning for the rest of the season.

Are there no weaknesses?

Manchester City's Rodri reacts after a missed chance
Manchester City's Rodri reacts after a missed chance (Michael Regan/PA)

It is difficult for any opponent to pinpoint a weakness. If there is one it is perhaps a failure to score the goals their domination often warrants. A plan could therefore be to absorb pressure and look to catch City cold with a sucker punch, but that is not so easy in practice. It may take other factors, such as injuries, suspensions or fixture congestion, to unsettle them.

Is this finally the year for them in the Champions League?
Europe has been their undoing in recent years and Guardiola's tactics have fallen short. There is no doubt they are good enough to succeed on that stage but they have a monkey on their back they must remove. Reaching the semi-final was a big step, but it gets no easier from here.

How do they prioritise the competitions?

City are bidding to win the Carabao Cup for a fourth year in succession
City are bidding to win the Carabao Cup for a fourth year in succession (Mike Egerton/PA)

Guardiola always says winning the Premier League is his number one objective but, given that competition looks all but wrapped up, recent selections show his focus is turning elsewhere. Of all the challenges that remain, the tight turnaround between the Carabao Cup final and the away leg of the Champions League semi-final in Paris looks a major one. It will be fascinating to see how Guardiola handles it.

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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City33245469244577
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd331910464352967
3Leicester CityLeicester32185958372159
4Chelsea331610751312058
5West Ham UnitedWest Ham331671053431055
6Liverpool33159955391654
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs331581056381853
8Everton32157104440452
9Leeds UnitedLeeds33145145050047
10Arsenal33137134437746
11Aston Villa32136134637945
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves33118143245-1341
13Crystal Palace31108133352-1938
14Burnley3399153045-1536
15Southampton32106164058-1836
16Newcastle UnitedNewcastle3399153654-1836
17Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton33713133339-634
18Fulham33512162543-1827
19West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom33510183064-3425
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3352261856-3817

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