Jamie Carragher says whether he thinks Manchester City can finish in the Premier League top five this season

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Manchester City may not have had the best of seasons, but their odds of qualifying for the Champions League have now improved further.

Manchester City could now finish fifth in the Premier League table and would qualify for the Champions League after Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid last week.

However, the race is tight, with City up against Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Aston Villa – just three points separate all five teams.

Jamie Carragher has now shared whether he thinks City can get over the line and into next season’s Champions League amid strong competition.

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Jamie Carragher tips Manchester City to finish in Premier League top five

Carragher, speaking on The Overlap US, reckons City will get over the line and finish in the top five.

He also thinks Newcastle and Aston Villa will join City, Arsenal and Liverpool in making up the top five.

“Well, I change my mind on this every week,” joked Carragher.

“I think Newcastle are set to make it – I actually think, if Arsenal beat Real Madrid, I think Newcastle will look at Arsenal and think ‘it’s not beyond our wildest dreams that we could actually pip them to second.’

“I don’t see Chelsea getting it, I see Man City doing it and I see Aston Villa doing it.”

Carragher admitted he wanted Forest to finish in the top five but he feels they’re losing form at the worst possible time.

This, combined with Newcastle and Villa looking “like they’re just starting to kick on”, has led to Carragher fearing for Forest’s Champions League hopes.

Manchester City’s Premier League run-in

Gary Lineker recently claimed that City’s performance against Crystal Palace was like the “City of old”, which bodes well for the rest of the season.

City’s run-in is not particularly punishing on paper, although they do play one of their current Champions League qualification rivals.

Up next for City in the league is a trip to Everton, who are all-but safe from relegation and have nothing to play for.

City then host Aston Villa before taking on Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, and then games against Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth and Fulham await.

Bournemouth and Fulham are both dark horses for a late run into the European spots, so it remains to be seen how the race for the top five looks in a few weeks’ time.