Ilkay Gundogan believes Manchester City must step on the accelerator at the top of the Premier League if they are to deny Liverpool the title.
Another remarkable race for silverware is unfolding in England between the north-west giants, with Pep Guardiola's City currently six points ahead of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
Liverpool's trip to City on April 10 could be pivotal in determining the destiny of the trophy, and by the time City are in action next, at Crystal Palace on Monday, their lead could be down to three points.
That is because Liverpool play ahead of them, taking on Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
Gundogan said: "There is no potential to do mistakes for both sides. We have a showdown at the Etihad in a few weeks.
"Both teams are capable to win all of the remaining games as we both have shown a few years ago. It's going to be a tight race until the end, this is what we believe."
Gundogan is referring to the 2018-19 Premier League season when he reflects on the season when both City and Liverpool stalked each other to the finish line.
It was City who edged that battle with 98 points to the Reds' 97, before Liverpool streaked to glory by 18 points in the following campaign.
City reasserted their authority last term, with a third title in four seasons, and narrowly have the upper hand this time around, albeit with time for that to change. They have 10 games left; Liverpool have 11.
City's shock home defeat to Tottenham on February 19 is their only league loss in the last 18 games, but has highlighted a potential vulnerability at a crucial stage of the campaign.
Guardiola and Klopp have Champions League commitments that must be attended to over the coming weeks and months, having guided their teams to the quarter-finals. Liverpool edged past Inter 2-1 on aggregate, while City sealed an impressive last-16 win over Sporting CP as they consolidated a 5-0 win in Portugal with a goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Gundogan said City's home display was "very mature" and safety-first. They are attempting to go one better than last season, when they were beaten 1-0 in the final by Chelsea.
"The confidence is very high," German midfielder Gundogan said. "The experience from the last years always helps. Going into the final last year, even though we lost, it is a great experience for all of our players, especially as it was the first time for a lot of us.
"We smelt last year how it was, the tension and the atmosphere to go into the final.
"Obviously we again have the highest hopes for this year, even though the competition is very big.
"I think there's a lot of quality and potential in our squad. There is no reason not to be confident and that's how we're going to approach also the quarter-finals."
Brazil legend Marta to retire from international football
Brazil star Marta has announced she will retire from international football at the end of 2024.
The 38-year-old is the all-time highest scorer for Brazil, netting 116 goals in 175 matches for the national team.
She is also the top-scorer in the Women’s World Cup with 17 goals, finishing as a runner-up in 2007 when Brazil lost in the final to Germany.
The forward has won three Copa America Femenina titles and was part of the Brazil team that won silver medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Marta could make her sixth appearance for Brazil at this year's Games if she is selected in the squad at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
"If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because, regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team," Marta told CNN in an interview on Thursday.
"There will be no more Marta from 2025 in the national team as an athlete.
"I am very calm about this because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes."
Al Hilal 3-1 Al Fateh: Neves on target as Saudi giants close in on title
Al Hilal moved 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League as Ruben Neves scored in a 3-1 win over Al Fateh on Friday.
Former Wolves star Neves slotted in from the penalty spot in the 74th minute, as Al Hilal completed a rapid comeback.
Having fallen behind to Lucas Zelarayan's 57th-minute opener, Al Hilal responded swiftly through Micheal before Salem Al Najdi fouled Mohammed Al Qahtani in the penalty area.
Ex-Barcelona winger Cristian Trello and Al Fateh coach Slaven Bilic were booked for their complaints, with Neves making no mistake, paving the way for Ali Al Bulayhi to seal victory in the 15th minute of an extended period of stoppage time.
Data Debrief
Al Hilal have now won 21 games on the spin in the league. They have scored 86 goals across their 28 matches this season, winning 26 in total.
They had 19 shots on Friday, accumulating 2.34 xG to Al Fateh's 0.25, with pass-master Neves creating three chances to go along with his goal.
RFEF elects Rocha as new president
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has confirmed Pedro Rocha as its new president.
Rocha has been elected as Luis Rubiales' replacement, despite being under investigation for corruption.
He had been serving as interim president since Rubiales resigned in September over the scandal caused when he kissed player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph in August.
In a statement released on Friday, the RFEF said: "Pedro Rocha has today been proclaimed the new president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), after having received the support of the majority of the assembly members of this institution that governs Spanish football.
"The process followed the procedure agreed by the Electoral Commission, which met this morning, and the timetable that was established for these elections."
Rocha has been under investigation since earlier in April, after the RFEF's headquarters was raided by police last month. The Spanish government announced on Thursday that it would be stepping in to oversee the running of the organisation.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
