Gary Neville backs Man City to win historic treble

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville believes Manchester City are ‘far too close’ to winning a historic treble this season.

Neville was part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s golden generation at Old Trafford that conquered the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in the 1998/99 season.

He is now ‘afraid’ United’s bitter cross-town rivals could match that feat as they seem to have hit a purple patch heading into the crunch period of the season.

“They’re settled now – they’re hitting the home straight,” he said on the Gary Neville Podcast on Sky Sports.

“The treble was mentioned in the studio – it’s definitely on. They can do the treble. They can win the European Cup, they can win the FA Cup, they can win the Premier League.

“There’s a long way to go [and] they could come up a team that does them on the way.

“But they’re very, very close to it. Far too close for comfort!”

Not long ago, it looked like Arsenal would dethrone Man City as the Premier League champions, but it’s no longer the feeling, with the Cityzens now only four points away with a game in hand.

On top of a slender point margin, Pep Guardiola’s men look unstoppable, having won their last six league matches by an aggregate score of 18-4, including a 3-1 home triumph over Leicester City at the weekend.

Man City have seemingly set themselves up nicely for next weekend’s Premier League top-table six-pointer against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium that could determine a closely-contested title race.

But in addition to staking their claim for a third straight league title – a feat they’ve never achieved before – Guardiola’s high-flyers are only a couple of wins away from winning the FA Cup for the first time since 2018/19.

While they’re widely expected to ease past second-tier Sheffield United in the semi-finals, City may have to beat Man United in the title showpiece, provided Erik ten Hag’s side beat Brighton & Hove Albion first.

United could throw a spanner in the works in the FA Cup, but there seems nothing Bayern Munich can do to prevent Man City from reaching the Champions League semi-finals.

After a comprehensive 3-0 first-leg triumph at home, City’s semi-final qualification should be a mere formality.

However, with record-time champions Real Madrid likely to challenge their continental credentials in the last four, the Cityzens’ pursuit of an elusive first Champions League crown is not guaranteed.