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• Guardiola says Man City must prove themselves all over again in title race

  Pep Guardiola says Manchester City's players cannot dine out on their past achievements and must prove themselves all over again in their last four games of the Premier League season, starting against Wolves on Saturday. 

  The title race remains in City's hands despite Arsenal leading the way by a single point, with Guardiola's men possessing a game in hand as they chase a fourth successive crown.

  After welcoming Wolves to the Etihad Stadium, they face back-to-back trips to London to take on Fulham and Tottenham, then host West Ham on the final day.

  Guardiola says City – who should have Ederson, Ruben Dias and Phil Foden back on Saturday – cannot assume this title rice will go the same way as others. 

  "We have to prove it tomorrow against Wolves and then in the next games," Guardiola said.

  "We know we have to win and get all 12 points, otherwise it will be difficult because Arsenal are so strong and so consistent. It's difficult to drop points.

  "It depends on us. It's just tomorrow and then three games in one week, no more complicated than that to analyse.

  "I would love to say what we have done in the past is going to happen this season, but nobody knows."

  Wolves, meanwhile, are still eyeing a top-half finish after halting a six-game winless run by beating struggling Luton Town 2-1 at Molineux last week, with goals from Hwang Hee-chan and Toti Gomes.

  A spate of injuries saw their European hopes slip away, but with Pedro Neto back in full training alongside Hwang and Matheus Cunha, they could start with their first-choice front three for the first time since October.

  Boss Gary O'Neil, who will serve a one-match touchline ban on Saturday, said: "To have all the senior players back and the group starting to look stronger again takes me back to October and how we felt at that moment. 

  "So we're looking forward to seeing them all back together."  

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Manchester City – Kevin De Bruyne

  De Bruyne has started six Premier League matches against Wolves, recording five goals and five assists against them, though nine of those involvements came at Molineux (five goals, four assists).

  The Belgian also laid on two assists against Nottingham Forest last week to move to 110 overall in the Premier League – just one behind second-placed Cesc Fabregas in the all-time rankings.

  Wolves – Hwang Hee-chan

  Hwang scored 10 Premier League goals before the turn of the year, then went exactly four months without a goal due to international duty and injuries before netting against Luton last week. 

  Both he and Cunha have 11 Premier League goals this season, and there have only been three previous instances of a player netting more for the club in a single campaign – Steven Fletcher in 2011-12 (12) and Raul Jimenez in both 2018-19 (13) and 2019-20 (17).

  MATCH PREDICTION – MANCHESTER CITY WIN

  Wolves inflicted City's first defeat of the Premier League season back in September, and they now have the chance to complete just their second top-flight double over them since 1960-61, having previously achieved the feat in 2019-20.

  However, City are in ominous form, going unbeaten through their last 19 Premier League games (15 wins, four draws). 

  They have already enjoyed four unbeaten runs of 20 or more matches in the competition – three of them under Guardiola – and could become just the second team to achieve the feat five times (Manchester United have done so seven times).

  All five of Wolves' away Premier League wins this term have either been against either teams starting the day in the relegation zone (two) or versus London clubs (three). 

  They have lost 18 of their 20 Premier League away games against sides starting the day inside the top two, winning the others at Tottenham (in December 2018) and City (October 2019). The champions have no margin for error, and a slip-up from them looks unlikely at this stage.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Manchester City – 71.2%

  Wolves – 9.6%

  Draw – 19.2% 

• Mark Clattenburg leaves consultancy role with Nottingham Forest

  Mark Clattenburg has resigned from his role as a refereeing consultant with Nottingham Forest, saying his presence had become a "hindrance" to the club.

  Retired Premier League referee Clattenburg – who oversaw the 2016 Champions League final and the showpiece game at Euro 2016 – began the role in February.

  The appointment was roundly criticised but Forest – who have seen a number of debatable decisions go against them this season – said it would aid their understanding of the decision-making process and improve dialogue with refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).

  However, Clattenburg has continued to attract criticism for taking on the role, which intensified when Forest reacted to a 2-0 Premier League defeat at Everton by accusing Stuart Attwell – who was on VAR duty – of being a fan of relegation rivals Luton Town.

  That came after Forest had seen three penalty appeals knocked back at Goodison Park, and Clattenburg avoided condemning Forest's statement in the aftermath of the controversy.

  On Friday, Forest released a statement from Clattenburg, who defended his decision to take the job but acknowledged it had created unforeseen difficulties.

  Clattenburg said: "It is now clear that the existence and performance of these consultancy services has caused unintended friction between Nottingham Forest and other participants, to the extent that it has become more of a hindrance than help.

  "It has also led to the unmerited targeting of me, personally, by certain participants and pundits.

  "Such reactions and outcomes were not expected and are regrettable, as it is my sincere belief that there is a place for and value in such a role in the modern game."

• Kompany wants to write names into the Burnley history books

  Vincent Kompany challenges his players to ‘remain in the club’s history’ as they continue their fight for Premier League safety.

  The Clarets are welcoming Newcastle United to Turf Moor on Saturday following an impressive run of form that has seen them lose just one of their last eight matches.

  Burnley remain two points from safety with three games remaining, though that could change if Luton Town beat Everton on Friday.

  Kompany was full of praise for the work his team has done to keep them within reach of the teams above them, highlighting the opportunity the next three games pose.

  "It’s so rare in life that you get opportunities to have a significant moment like this, but these guys will have the opportunity in the next three games," Kompany said.

  "It’s as big an opportunity as you get. Getting to the wire and having something to play for, that’s one of the most powerful things you can do in this game.

  "Every season I feel needs to matter and you can make it matter by doing something special in the next three games. I want every player in the team to believe, individually, they can have a moment."

  Newcastle head into Saturday’s match following an impressive 5-1 win over Sheffield United that ultimately relegated the Blades.

  Eddie Howe’s team are still in the hunt for a top-seven finish but have struggled to get results away from home this season.

  He said: "For me I always tried to focus on the game and not where it is played.

  "I urge my players to do the same. In the last few games we have shown flashes of being back to our very best. I want to see that for 90 minutes if we can."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Burnley – Zeki Amoundi

  Amdouni is Burnley’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League this season, along with Jacob Bruun Larsen and Lyle Foster with five goals each. The Clarets have the lowest scoring top scorers of any side in the competition this term.

  Newcastle – Anthony Gordon

  Gordon has 10 goals and nine assists in the Premier League this season – the only Newcastle players to reach double figures for both in a single campaign are Andrew Cole in 1993-94 (34G 13A) and Ruel Fox in 1994-95 (10G 11A).

  MATCH PREDICTION: NEWCASTLE UNITED WIN

  Following their five consecutive Premier League wins over Burnley, Newcastle United will be looking to win six in a row against an opponent for just a second time, also registering six wins against Spurs between 2006 and 2008.

  However, Newcastle have lost eight of their last 11 Premier League away games; since the first match of this spell in November (v Bournemouth), only Brentford (10) and Sheffield United (nine) have lost more times on their travels in the competition.

  Meanwhile, Burnley have won just two of their 13 Premier League matches against Newcastle United (D4 L7), losing the last five in a row. They have never lost six in a row against the Magpies in their league history.

  Burnley, though, have only lost one of their last eight Premier League games (W2 D5), picking up more points in this run (11) than their previous 20 league matches prior (nine – W2 D3 L15).

  Newcastle have scored 74 Premier League goals this season, only netting more in 1993-94 (82). Their record of 2.2 goals-per-game is their most in a top-flight season since 1951-52, when they scored 98 in 42 matches (2.3 per game).

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Burnley – 25.2%

  Draw – 27.9%

  Newcastle – 46.9%