Manchester City are very experienced when it comes to winning Premier League titles.
Having won six of the past seven, City became the first side to secure four consecutive top-flight trophies in their previous campaign.
This time around, Pep Guardiola’s side are on the hunt to win a fifth Premier League title in a row.
With seven games played, the Blues have won five and drawn twice, leaving them in second place on the same number of points as Arsenal.
The champions are also one point behind Liverpool in top spot and three ahead of Chelsea in fourth.
Recently, the Premier League announced their fixture schedule for the winter period – a notoriously tough time for all sides.
City will have to get through these matches without one key figure in their team, as Guardiola said that Rodri will be out injured for the season as a result of the knee injury he picked up against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in September.
The fixture announcement has now highlighted a particular advantage two of City’s title rivals have over them which should leave Guardiola and the City supporters somewhat deflated.
Arsenal and Chelsea have easier winter fixtures than Man City
Man City’s winter fixtures
- Sunday December 15th – Man City vs Man United 16:30
- Saturday December 21st – Aston Villa vs Man City 12:30
- Thursday December 26th – Man City vs Everton 12:30
- Sunday December 29th – Leicester City vs Man City 14:30
- Saturday January 4th – Man City vs West Ham 15:00
Liverpool’s winter fixtures
- Saturday Demeber 14th – Liverpool vs Fulham 15:00
- Sunday December 22nd – Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool 16:30
- Thursday December 26th – Liverpool vs Leicester City 20:00
- Sunday December 29th – West Ham United vs Liverpool 17:15
- Sunday January 5th – Liverpool vs Man United 16:30
Arsenal’s winter fixtures
- Saturday December 14th – Arsenal vs Everton 15:00
- Saturday December 21st – Crystal Palace vs Arsenal 17:30
- Friday December 27th – Arsenal vs Ipswich Town 20:15
- Wednesday January 1st – Brentford vs Arsenal 17:30
- Saturday January 4th – Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal 17:30
Chelsea’s winter fixture
- Sunday December 15th – Chelsea vs Brentford 19:00
- Sunday December 22nd – Everton vs Chelsea 14:00
- Thursday December 26th – Chelsea vs Fulham 15:00
- Monday December 30th – Ipswich Town vs Chelsea 19:45
- Saturday January 4th – Crystal Palace vs Chelsea 15:00
What has Guardiola said about winning five consecutive titles?
Prior to the season starting, Guardiola gave this response on how he feels about winning a fifth consecutive Premier League title with City.
He said: “My ambition is not the fifth. The first Premier League was, the first Champions League was, maybe the four in a row was, the fifth, no.
“The one issue is you break the record for the other one but breaking your own record is not the same pleasure, so that’s why it’s completely different, but the competition will make us to be there again.”
Despite the Blues being expected to win all of their three home fixtures, the away match against Villa could be a tricky one for them.
In fact, the same fixture last season saw the champions lose 1-0 at Villa Park, making it one of the three league defeats the were handed throughout the campaign.
Even though the two London clubs have fewer home games across this period than City and Liverpool, their fixtures are easier on paper.
However, given the experience City have when it comes to winning titles and the levels it takes to do so, they know they will have to win as many points as possible regardless of who has a tougher collection of winter fixtures.
