Pep Guardiola says that the last two Premier League matches of Man City are “solid”, but if they are not eligible for the Champions League, they will not earn that.
The overwhelming City campaign will end without silverware after their 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, while their attention goes back to securing a place in Europe's showpiece tournament with their fate still in their hands.
Victories in their last games of the Premier League season, at home at Bournemouth on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports, and in Fulham there will be enough next weekend to secure a place in the top five, but currently they are outside the qualifying places of the Champions League.
“We need four points to be in the Champions League, that is enough and everyone must be aware of it,” said Guardiola.
“It is important to be eligible for other teams, apart from Newcastle, who won the Carabao Cup, Liverpool won the Premier League, Man City won the Community Shield. The other teams have not won any trophies.
“Chelsea can win a title (Conference League) and Man Utd and Tottenham can win the Europa League; the other teams expect to qualify for the Champions League. It's important for every club.
“We have to come back and we have to recover quickly. Yes, it's better to play against Bournemouth who won the FA Cup because victories help win, but now we have to prove how strong we are.
“And from my point of view we have two massively important games for the future of this club in the short term.”
'I think we are eligible'
The victory over Bournemouth would take the city in third place in the table on the way to their last fixture in Craven Cottage.
The defeat would leave them sixth and with only one point that the teams separate from third to seventh in a tight battle for top five.
City started to offer this season to win a fifth consecutive Premier League title. It would be incomprehensible that they would end the season to climb for a Champions League place.
“I have been to the Champions League in the last 13, 14, 15 years, I don't remember,” Guardiola added. “If we are not, we will not earn it, we will play in the Europa League. It is what it is.
“I think we are eligible. I manage my mind and I think. We need two wins or four points.
“The first step is to finish in third position in the Premier League. That is my target.
“We will give everything to try.”
Will De Bruyne start in the last Etihad match?
In the meantime, Guardiola has not offered a guarantee that Kevin De Bruyne will start his last home game for Manchester City.
De Bruyne, who leaves the club when his contract ends this summer, will play one last time in the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday in a city shirt against Bournemouth.
Guardiola said: “What Kevin wants is that we win the game to qualify for the Champions League next season. That's what Kevin wants. It's no different.
“I'm going to decide the best so that we can have the best chance of winning the match against Bournemouth.”
Regardless of the minutes De Bruyne plays, the club is planning to pay tribute to one of the biggest players of the Premier League era after the game.
De Bruyne, whose successes in a glorious decade in the city include six league titles and the Champions League, receives an honorary guard of teammates and back room staff for a light show with pyrotechnics.
Marie and Jon Bell, wife and son of the former city player Colin Bell respectively, will also be present for a presentation to the 33-year-old.
With De Bruyne is not expected to be involved with the club World Cup, next Sunday's game in Fulham would be last for the club.
Guardiola must now pick up his side of the disappointment of their defeat by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
He said: “We played a really good final, but not enough to win it and now we have the last two games.
“We need four points next year to be in the Champions League and this is enough (motivation). Everyone must be aware of that.”
Guardiola says he didn't watch Saturday's game.
He said: “I didn't see the game. My focus is on Bournemouth. Maybe I will judge certain images tonight, but last night and this morning I was focused on Bournemouth.”
Guardiola insists that he did not designate a penalty contractor, despite the fact that Omar Marmoush was missing in the place at Wembley after Topscorer Erling Haaland has surprisingly known.
He said: “I didn't talk to them. We train this afternoon. It is so clear – the tap has to score a goal.”
Will Pep run after Wembley allegation?
Sky Sports News' Ben Ransom:
“Guardiola has been saying for a few weeks about how important these games were at the end of the season. He has already called them a series of cup final, so after he has lost the cup final, the one where they could have had silverwork, then that will have made the wind out of this group.
“The last time in the Premier League they were held on to that 0 –0-yellow game in Southampton that everyone expected to win.
“It has now added what Jeopardy has added to this game, which is really difficult. When you consider what was taken out of the players during the weekend, not only trust, but it was more than 100 minutes on the big Wembley -Pitch on a hot day in London. That will have suppressed them and you think Pep will have to rotate.
“There were huge sentimental reasons to play Kevin De Bruyne in the FA Cup final and now in the last game in the Etihad.
“It has been a remarkable era of success for him, but he played more than 100 minutes during the weekend. He has been used sparingly in recent seasons because of his injuries. Starting two games in four days seems like a big question, even if the club and fans will prove to bring him a tribute.
“Anyway, start, come from the bank or not even play, Guardiola was clear that De Bruyne wants what is the best for Man City.”
'The most difficult result we need is vs Man City'
Bournemouth is confronted with a uphill fight to seal European football. They are currently 11th and fight with Fulham, Brentford and Brighton for an eighth placed finish, which can be enough for a UEFA Conference League place.
Boss Andoni Iraola added: “We don't have to know how many results we have to go our way, but from all those results I think is the hardest thing about us (on Tuesday) because we play in City, who play for Champions League.
“So it's not a scenario that we want, but it's the one we have now. It is true that after (Crystal Palace's victory in town) the FA Cup final the opportunities to get Europe are limited.”
Alex Scott will miss the Etihad Stadium after having broken his jaw in last week's defeat against Aston Villa.
The midfielder of Cherries has had a mask and it is still to be seen whether he will appear in the last home competition against Leicester next week.
View Man City vs Bournemouth on Tuesday live on Sky Sports from 19.00 at Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League; kick -off at 8 p.m.
Sky Sports to show 215 Live PL games next season
From next season, the Premier League coverage of Sky Sports will increase from 128 games to at least 215 games that are exclusively live.
And 80 percent of all Premier League matches broadcast on television will be on Sky Sports next season.