by Oliver Brown, Chief Sports Editor: No
For all their imperiousness, City can still come unstuck when you least expect it. Just when it looked like the momentum in the title race had irrevocably changed in the title race with a 3-1 win at Arsenal, they dropped two points at Nottingham Forest. At the Bernabeu last season, they appeared to sail serenely to the final, only to concede two goals in the dying seconds. Even 3-0 over Bayern Munich on their way to Germany, their path to a maiden Champions League title is still fraught with peril, with Real Madrid and Napoli potentially lurking in by far the toughest half of the draw. In the FA Cup they are comfortable favourites. Still in contention for three trophies, I expect them to finish with just one.
James Ducker, Northern Football correspondent: No
Will they be able to win the treble? Yes, absolutely. Will they? I do not believe. I see City winning two of the three trophies and would strongly support them to lift the FA Cup, but I think Arsenal will hold them off in the Premier League title race or they could narrowly fail in the Champions League. I think they will win either of those big two, I’m just not convinced they will both be the FA Cup anymore.
Sam Dean, football reporter: No
This is nothing more than speculation, but I can’t shake the feeling that Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton will have an important part to play in the coming months. They are potential FA Cup Final opponents for Manchester City and are also home to Pep Guardiola’s side in the Premier League. Brighton are a better team than most people think, and they are way better than their table position (seventh) would suggest. De Zerbi is a huge fan of Guardiola, but don’t be surprised if his side’s high-stakes football proves effective against City in the league or FA Cup. No treble.
Thom Gibbs, senior sports reporter: No
An FA Cup final seems assured given semi-opponents City and they would be favourites, although neither Manchester United nor Brighton would be a walkover. I make the Premier League too difficult to call despite City’s menacing form, Arsenal have passed every test so far.
The Champions League is the white whale and there were signs that the stars are aligning after Tuesday night: a glorious goal from Rodri, the unfailing contribution of Erling Haaland and a fine defensive performance. They’ve faltered every year under Pep Guardiola at some point, but they’ve never had Haaland before.
The suspicion is that Guardiola may reconsider again at some point, but it’s the small margin of error in the competition that is the biggest danger. Two matches against Real Madrid in the semi-final would be a disaster, and anything could happen in the final against probable Italian opponents. One way or another I’d rather a double of some variety than a triple.
Daniel Zeqiri: Nope
Manchester City are favorites in each of the three competitions, but remain unlikely to win them all, a 15-18% chance if we use the bookmaker’s odds as a guide. This is a real possibility, but you’ll be right more often by saying no than yes. With a probable Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid on the way and a Premier League title race that could be settled by a result, there is enough danger to oppose. Let’s not forget that sometimes the best team loses.
