Event of the Day: Manchester City versus Cardiff City
Our event of the day is the Premier League fixture between Manchester City and Cardiff City at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. City need to win to reclaim the top spot in the table from Liverpool, who they currently trail by just two points. Meanwhile, Cardiff desperately need a win in order to pull themselves closer to safety, as they currently sit within the relegation zone. Be sure you don’t miss this match that is a must-win for both sides. Manchester City could feasibly complete the quadruple this season. The elusive feat has never been completed by a Premier League team. Celtic managed it in the 1966-67 season, as did Arsenal Ladies in 2006-07, but the closest a Premier League team has come is the triple. However, City have put themselves in a good position to do it. They have already won the Caraboa Cup, they are in the semifinals of the FA Cup and the quarterfinals of the Champions League. In the Premier League, they are two points behind Liverpool with a game in hand. In their quest for dominance, they find themselves on a twelve-game winning streak across all competitions. They have succeeded due to their world-class talent and their wide variety of goal scorers. The vital advantage they hold over Liverpool is that City can trust their midfield to step up if players like Aguero go cold.
Meanwhile, 63.8% of Liverpool’s goals this season have come from three players. City have not lost a midweek Premier League home game since 2010, meaning that this match will be all the more daunting for Cardiff. A daunting match is not what the Bluebirds need right now. Cardiff are in 18th, five points from safety and with only one win in their last five matches. After earning promotion from the Championship last season, they have struggled to adapt to Premier League play. Their transfers have failed to perform, with the best new assets being Josh Murphy and Bobby Reid, who have forty-six appearances and seven goals between them. Cardiff are also still reeling from the loss of Emiliano Sala. Sala was set to join Cardiff from French team Nantes in the January transfer window but tragically died in a plane crash en route to Cardiff. Sala looked to be the offensive piece Cardiff needed so his loss was a major blow to the team. Against Manchester City, Cardiff have a total of nine wins, the most recent coming in August 2013. However, Cardiff have not kept a clean sheet against City since February 1962. Both teams need to win tonight, albeit for different reasons, so be sure you don’t miss this match.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NBA, where the Detroit Pistons host the Indiana Pacers at the Little Caesars’s Arena. The Pistons are in a fierce fight for the sixth, seventh and eighth seeds in the Eastern Conference. They need three wins to secure the eighth seed and five to secure the sixth. The Pistons have seen a resurgence this season under the leadership of Blake Griffin and look set to make their first postseason since the 2015-16 season. Meanwhile, Indiana are guaranteed a playoff spot and are in a fight for the fourth seed with the Boston Celtics. Be sure you don’t miss this crucial match with major postseason implications. Elsewhere, in the MLB, the Oakland A's host the slow-starting Boston Red Sox for the third game of their four-game series at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. In the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks host the St. Louis Blues at the United Center. In snooker, the China Open continues at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Beijing. On the WTA Tour, the Volvo Car Open continues at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by Premier League