Man City duo offer unexpected boost as Steven Gerrard sends warning ahead of final day

Here are your Manchester City evening headlines for Thursday, May 19.

City know what they have to do on Sunday as they head into their final game of the season. With Liverpool just one point behind, the Blues will likely have to win against Aston Villa in order to be crowned Premier League champions once again.

Their build-up in recent weeks hasn’t quite been ideal, with injuries taking their toll, particularly at the back where they’ve been left short of options. John Stones, Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias had been ruled out for the rest of the campaign by Pep Guardiola, while Nathan Ake is not fit to start.

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But City could have been handed an unexpected boost for their decisive game on Sunday. Stones and Walker have raised hopes that they could be involved against Villa, which would be a timely lift.

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As much as City know a win will see the title stay at the Etihad for another year, there will be one man trying his best to make sure they miss out. Steven Gerrard will be in the opposition dugout on Sunday, and he’ll be looking to do his old side a favour.

The former midfielder is of course a legend at Anfield, and famously missed out on a league title himself during his long career with Liverpool. Now in charge of Villa, he could now win the title for the Reds on the final day.

And ahead of his side’s visit to Eastlands, he’s sent a warning to City that he won’t be taking the challenge lightly, despite his own side seemingly not having anything to play for. "We want to finish as strong as we can and we want to improve our league position,” Gerrard said.

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