How many points Man City, Aston Villa, Chelsea & others need to secure top-five finish - according to Opta

Manchester City took a step closer to Champions League football next season as they ended Wolves’ six-game winning run with a 1-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Friday night.

Kevin De Bruyne scored the only goal of the game with 35 minutes gone as City moved onto 64 points and four points clear of Nottingham Forest in sixth. They sit two points above Newcastle United and also four above Chelsea. Aston Villa face Fulham on Saturday afternoon and sat seven points adrift of City before their clash against the London outfit kicked off.

City beat Villa with a late goal at the Etihad Stadium late last month in what could prove to be a hugely-decisive result come the end of the season. Newcastle and Chelsea are both in action on Sunday as they take on Brighton and Chelsea, respectively. Forest make the trip to Palace on Monday night after losing 2-0 at home to Brentford on Thursday.

Pep Guardiola reacts to crucial win over Wolves

De Bruyne will leave City at the end of the season once his contract runs out but he is keen to help fire the club into the top five before he departs. Reflecting on the player’s impact, Pep Guardiola said after his winning goal against Wolves: “It was really good. We saw against [Crystal] Palace, when we were 2-0 down, his goal lifted us and gave us the momentum to come back.

“His contribution is massive. There are players like Sergio [Aguero], like him, like Vinnie [Kompany] in the heart of the people. It’s not just titles and numbers, it’s affection and love and passion. All of us have been one decade here, helping us to win absolutely everything and still he’s here.”

De Bruyne added: “I think [it was] a pretty hard game today. Even in the season that we won these kind of tough games, you just need to find a way to win. I think we did that.

“It’s pretty important. Now we can enjoy the weekend and see what the other teams are doing. Obviously it’s good if you put pressure on the rest. I think also we know that other teams have to play each other a little bit. So we can just relax for the weekend and get ready for next week. We found a way in the end.”

How many points Man City and rivals need for top-five finish - according to Opta

Data experts at Opta predict that 66 points will be enough to clinch a place in the top five. Man City are being tipped for 70 points and third place. Newcastle and Nottingham Forest are forecast for the fourth and fifth spots with 68 and 66 points, respectively. Chelsea are tipped to miss out with 65 points with Villa to stay in seventh on 63 points.

Chelsea’s forecast final total of 65 points mean City would need just two more points to get above that total and qualify for the Champions League - if Opta’s prediction proves correct. Mathematically, just one of Forest and Chelsea can get a maximum of 72 points. That is because the duo play each other in the final day of the season. Alternatively, if the sides draw on the final day then the pair can get a maximum of 10 points each from their final four games.

Chelsea also play Newcastle in their final run-in, meaning that the teams below City are taking points off each other in the run-in. Guardiola’s men need to finish above just two of their rivals and with Southampton up next, City could all-but seal their spot in the top five as soon as next weekend.