Sky Blue News: Leicester Reaction, Deyna the Queen, Etihad Expansion, and More...

Manchester City men are headed for Germany looking to finish off Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final. The women are reassembling in Manchester to begin preparation for a WSL clash against West Ham. Sky Blue News has all the latest to get you ready.

Man City: Are Pep Guardiola’s side on for the treble of the FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League? - Gary Neville - Sky Sports

City go to Bayern Munich on Wednesday evening with a relatively comfortable 3-0 cushion after an impressive performance in the quarter-final first leg at the Etihad.

They will also be buoyed by their 3-1 win over Leicester in the Premier League on Saturday being followed by leaders Arsenal dropping two points from 2-0 up at West Ham the next day.

The gap at the top of the table is now just four points, with City having a game in hand and Arsenal coming to face them in Manchester on April 26.

Add in the FA Cup semi-final with Sheffield United at Wembley on Saturday and the pieces are falling into place for City to match the achievement of Neville and his United team-mates in 1998/99 by winning the league, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, the Sky Sports pundit admitted he was getting nervous about the prospect, saying: “It is ominous.

“I thought Manchester City were messing around a few weeks ago. They were bored. Now they’re playing four serious defenders every match. Whether it’s Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, John Stones. They’re all in there now. He’s playing a solid back four and one steps into midfield.

Manchester City Down Foxes, 3-1: Reaction & Tweets - Saul Garcia - Bitter and Blue

A really good first half led to the win as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne played exceptional. City continue the pressure at the top and lay now just four points off it.

We move on to the reaction-

Pep Guardiola Reaction

“I think the connection between Erling and Kevin is obvious.

“I think Kevin needs the runners to do his biggest quality and Erling needs an assist player to make his positive runs. It’s a natural way.

“We talk a lot about ‘take a look at him when he runs and put the ball there’ because when the ball is correct and he has this space, he is unstoppable. We know it.

“But they have a special connection and you can see this.

“But what I like about that second goal is Kevin won the duel. I love that.

“He won the duel and after that, the run and finish from Erling was fantastic.”

Clement Turpin to referee Bayern Munich vs Manchester City in Champions League quarter-final second-leg - City Xtra

Clément Turpin will lead a French team of match officials at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening.

The 40 year-old has taken charge of 28 matches so far this season, showing 74 yellow cards and six red cards.

Turpin hasn’t refereed Manchester City since a 7-0 win over Schalke in 2019.

Assistant Referees

The French referee will accompanied by Assistant Referees Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pages.

Video Assistant Referees

Overviewing proceedings will be Video Assistant Referee Jérôme Brisard and Assistant Video Assistant Referee Willy Delajod.

QUEEN DEYNA Inspiring the next generation - George Kelsey - ManCity.com

Considering that football isn’t even Venezuela’s national sport, the meteoric rise of Queen Deyna’ (a nickname for the midfielder that comes from its rhyming Spanish translation, Deyna la Reina) at such a young age is perhaps even more astounding.

While incredibly proud of her heritage, she’s the first to admit that opportunities for young Venezuelans, particularly girls, were limited when it comes to the beautiful game.

“No, it’s not even close [to the size of football in England],” she replies instantly when asked about football’s popularity in her home country.

“Men’s football is not even the first sport in Venezuela, it’s baseball. Women’s football wasn’t even on the map.

“After we came fourth at the U17 World Cup in 2014, that is when we saw a change, and it was something that came more naturally for the girls.

“There’s still a struggle there, and it’s not as big as it is here [in England]. I don’t think it will ever be.

Manchester City ‘will not block Aymeric Laporte exit’ - Ben Sully - Sports Mole

Although he missed the first two months of the season due to a knee problem, Laporte has seemingly dropped down to Pep Guardiola’s fifth-choice centre-back.

The Man City boss has tended to utilise Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake over the Spain international.

Despite having a contract with Man City until June 2025, Laporte recently hinted that he is looking to move away this summer in a bid to find regular playing time.

According to the Daily Mail, the Citizens will not stand in the way if Laporte does opt to leave the club at the end of the season.

The 28-year-old has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, but Man City are not keen to sell to a Premier League rival.

Man City’s stance is different from the position they held last summer when they allowed Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus to join Arsenal, while Raheem Sterling completed a move to Chelsea.

Laporte is likely to have a number of options available to him overseas, with La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid showing an interest.

The reigning French champions Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked alongside Serie A sides Juventus and Roma.

New images of £300m Etihad expansion plans as Man City take next step - Simon Bajkowski - Manchester Evening News

The club have submitted planning application for their £300m proposal that includes the expansion of the North Stand to take the stadium capacity above 60,000, as well as a hotel, sky bar, and stadium roof walk experience. There will also be space for some businesses to work there in collaboration with the club and their partners.

Having presented the fans to plans and taken in questionnaire feedback in February and March, City have happily pushed on with their initial designs as they aim to turn the Etihad complex into a place to go any day of the week. The Blues will now wait to see if those proposals are approved before they can move further forward with the grand plan.

“Over several months we have been developing concepts and designs for a best-in-class fan experience and year-round entertainment and leisure destination at the Etihad Stadium and are delighted to have now submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council,” said Danny Wilson, managing director of club operations.

And finally... City and Real Madrid are eyeing a move for Celta Vigo 20-year old.

Manchester City pushing to sign Real Madrid target Sourav Mahanty - The Real Champs

The two teams met in the semi-finals last season as well and it was a tie that not many people will forget anytime soon. Manchester City were cruising until the 90th minute of the second leg before Rodrygo cropped up with an unexpected brace and a goal from Karim Benzema in extra-time knocked Guardiola’s side out.

The two teams might find themselves competing in the transfer market soon as well. It looks like they have a common target in Gabri Veiga of Celta Vigo.

As reported by Relevo, Manchester City have already let the player’s environment know that they want to have him next season and, in addition, they have advanced that he will have an important role in the Guardiola’s plans.

Veiga is enjoying a breakout campaign in La Liga this season and it is not hard to see why the 20-year-old is drawing the interest of the biggest clubs on the planet. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has scored 9 goals and provided 4 assists in 30 appearances across all competitions this season.

Thus, Veiga is certainly one to watch for the future. And it is very possible that he could be on the move this summer.

There you have it Cityzens. Stay with Bitter and Blue throughout the week as we build toward the UCL quarter-final second leg and the FA Cup semis at Wembley, as well as the WSL match against West Ham. Sky Blue News returns tomorrow with more headlines.