Manchester City's Premier League clash with Aston Villa has been described as “a final” by manager Pep Guardiola, with Champions League qualification hanging in the balance. As the Premier League season nears its dramatic conclusion, the race for Europe’s top competition is heating up. While Arsenal and Liverpool appear to be closing in on two of the top five spots — which will secure Champions League football next season — just two points separate the next five teams in the table. Among them are Manchester City and Aston Villa, who face off in a high-stakes encounter at the Etihad Stadium. With only five matches remaining, City currently sit fourth, just one point ahead of Unai Emery’s Villa, who are seventh but firmly in the mix. Tuesday night’s game has the feel of a do-or-die showdown — and Guardiola knows it. "They are absolutely contenders for the Champions League," said Guardiola. “When I watched their game against my friend Luis Enrique and PSG — wow. I was really impressed.” Villa enjoyed a deeper Champions League run than City this season, reaching the quarter-finals before narrowly falling to the French champions. Their European form has only added to the threat they pose domestically. “They can defend deep and absorb pressure, but when they choose to attack, they have so many weapons — pace, organisation, dangerous set-pieces. They’re incredibly well drilled,” Guardiola added. “This is a final, and we need our fans more than ever. I believe they want to see Champions League nights at the Etihad again, and we need them from the first minute to the last. This game is everything.” City and Villa could also be on a collision course in the FA Cup, with both teams playing their semi-finals at Wembley this weekend — City taking on Nottingham Forest, and Villa facing Crystal Palace. One of Villa’s standout performers this season is a familiar face to Guardiola — 22-year-old Morgan Rogers. Once a City youth player, Rogers joined the club from West Bromwich Albion in 2019 but never broke into the first team, instead going out on loan to Lincoln, Bournemouth, and Blackpool. Now at Villa, following a February move from Middlesbrough, Rogers has flourished. With 14 goals and 13 assists across all competitions and a maiden England call-up to his name, he’s fast becoming one of the Premier League’s breakout stars. “He trained with us a few times and you could see flashes of his talent,” Guardiola reflected. “But the impact he’s having at Villa now — what a player. We had something special in our hands.” As the battle for Europe intensifies, Tuesday’s clash is shaping up to be a defining moment. With two ambitious sides, Champions League dreams, and perhaps even FA Cup glory on the line, there’s far more at stake than just three points.