Manchester City have confirmed that manager Pep Guardiola will leave the club after Sunday’s final match of the season.

Guardiola has enjoyed a hugely successful spell at City, winning 17 major trophies, including six Premier League titles in 10 seasons in charge of the club.

The 55-year-old will take charge of his final game when City face Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Reports from BBC Sport on Monday said the club had already started making plans for Guardiola’s departure, even though he still had one year left on his contract.

“Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving,” said Guardiola. “There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it’s my time.

“Nothing is eternal, if it was, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City.”

Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who previously worked under Guardiola at City, is believed to be the leading candidate to replace him.

The announcement came only three days after City lost the 2025/26 Premier League title to Arsenal.

City’s draw against AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday confirmed Arsenal as league champions for the first time in 22 years.

Guardiola first agreed to join City in February 2016, replacing Manuel Pellegrini ahead of the 2016/17 season.

Although he failed to win a trophy in his first season and also ended last season empty-handed, his side dominated English football for most of his time at the club.

City became the first Premier League team to reach 100 points in a season during the 2017/18 campaign. They also scored a record 106 goals that season.

In the 2022/23 season, Guardiola guided City to a historic Treble, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in the same campaign. They became only the second English club after Manchester United to achieve the feat.

City also made history by becoming the first team to win four straight English league titles after lifting the trophy again in the 2023/24 season.

Despite stepping down as manager, City said Guardiola would remain connected to the club as a global ambassador for the City Football Group.

Before joining City, Guardiola spent three years at Bayern Munich, where he won three Bundesliga titles and two German Cups.

He began his coaching career at FC Barcelona in 2008, building one of the greatest club teams in football history. During his time there, he won three La Liga titles, two Champions League trophies and two Copa del Rey titles.

As a player, Guardiola also enjoyed a successful career at Barcelona, winning six La Liga titles and the 1991/92 European Cup. He also captained Spain national football team to Olympic gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games before retiring from football in 2006.

Pep Guardiola will bring his storied decade as manager of Manchester City to an end this weekend, the club announced on Friday.

“Deep inside, I know it’s my time,” said Guardiola, who will take charge for the final time against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Guardiola, who took charge of ⁠City in 2016, has won six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five ​League Cups and the Champions League, ‌but his side have not won the league in two years.

Read moreArsenal win Premier League title after Manchester City draw at Bournemouth

“Nothing is eternal, if it was, I would be ​here. Eternal will be the feeling, ​the people, the memories, the love ​I have for my Manchester City,” the manager said in a statement.

“We worked. We suffered. We ​fought. And we did things our own way. Our way.”

Although City sealed the domestic cup double, Guardiola saw his dreams of a seventh ⁠Premier League crown dashed when they drew 1-1 at Bournemouth ⁠on ​Tuesday to hand Arsenal the title.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros aim to bounce back from challenging starts to the week when they face off in a Friday matinee to being a three-game interleague series. The Cubs (29-21) just got swept at home by the rival Brewers and have lost eight of 10 to fall out of first place in the rugged NL Central. The Astros (20-31) have dropped three of four and their pitching staff has the highest combined ERA in baseball. Jameson Taillon (2-3, 4.94) gets the ball for the homestanding Cubs, while Houston counters with Spencer Arrighetti (5-1, 1.50 ERA). 

First pitch from Wrigley Field in Chicago is set for 2:20 p.m. ET. Chicago is a -141 favorite on the money line (risk $141 to win $100) in the latest Astros vs. Cubs odds, with Houston priced at +120 (risk $100 to win $120). The over/under is 7. Before making any Cubs vs. Astros picks, be sure to see the Astros vs. Cubs predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model. 

Visit our DraftKings promo code review to see their latest offers and get started.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, and enters Week 9 of the MLB season on a red-hot 12-1 run on all top-rated MLB picks. It also excelled at making home run prop picks in 2025, returning nearly 30 units of profit. Anybody following its MLB betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Astros vs. Cubs and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Astros vs. Cubs:

New to sports trading? Visit our Kalshi promo code review to see their latest offers and get started. 

Top Astros vs. Cubs predictions 

After 10,000 simulations of Cubs vs. Astros, the model is going Over 7 combined runs. For over/under betting, the Over hasn’t hit in six straight, as the offense has managed only 12 runs in that span. The Over had hit in four straight Cubs games before the team was held to two combined runs by the Brewers on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Over is 5-2 for Astros games coming from an off-day. 

SportsLine’s model projects 1.8 total bases or more for the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker and Jeremy Pena. The Cubs, meanwhile, are projected to get over 1.4 total bases or more from Alex Bregman, Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong. The model projects 8.9 combined runs as the Over hits in 62% of simulations. Get the Astros vs. Cubs money-line pick at SportsLine.

How to make Astros vs. Cubs picks

After simulating every pitch of Astros vs. Cubs 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can get that pick at SportsLine. 

So who wins Cubs vs. Astros and which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its MLB picks, and find out.

Indian spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin feels Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Sai Sudharsan should learn to accelerate towards the back end of the innings. He opined that the southpaw needed to improve to match the demands of modern-day T20 cricket.

Sudharsan has shown terrific form in IPL 2026 and is currently the Orange Cap holder. The opening batter has amassed 638 runs from 14 innings at a strike rate of 157.92. Speaking about the 24-year-old’s batting style, Ashwin remarked in his YouTube video:

“I want to praise Shubman Gill’s batting. He has put in a lot of effort and has shown great intent in the powerplay. I wouldn’t say the same thing about Sai Sudharsan. Sai Sudharsan plays conventional cricket, but capitalizes later on. I still think Sai Sudharsan needs to accelerate towards the end of the innings. T20 cricket has changed. He can do a lot more.”

Sudharsan shone with the bat in GT’s 89-run win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Ahmedabad on Thursday, May 21. He played a brilliant 84-run knock off 53 balls. Ashwin noted that the talented batter hit a four over mid-off after stepping out of the crease against Anshul Kamboj.

The former cricketer praised Sudharsan’s ability to upset the rhythm of the bowlers. He stated:

“He is not one of your modern-day T20 batters, but the way he used his feet today was good to see. He stepped out and hit Anshul Kamboj’s first ball over mid-off in the powerplay. He doesn’t hit straight that often, but today, he played his first lofted shot there.

“It would have been a catch had the mid-off been straighter, but we should praise him because this guy does something or the other to upset the rhythm of the bowlers. He doesn’t have power; he is not a powerful T20 hitter, he bats conventionally, but by using his brain, by running two, or by playing good shots, he upsets the bowler.”

With the comprehensive win over CSK, the Shubman Gill-led GT have secured a top-two finish in IPL 2026.

“He has not unlocked his full potential yet” – R Ashwin on Shubman Gill’s batting exploits in IPL 2026

R Ashwin lauded GT skipper Shubman Gill for changing his powerplay approach. He pointed out that the right-handed batter has played attacking cricket right from the outset.

However, Ashwin suggested that Gill has yet to unlock his full potential as a batter. He said in the same video:

“There is a huge difference in his powerplay intent. The volume of runs has always been there and is in the Orange Cap list, but he’s shown us that he can play with intent. I am still saying that it is 60-70 percent maximum. He has not unlocked his full potential yet. He is a special batter and can do more.”

Gill is the second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2026. He has scored 616 runs from 13 innings with a strike rate of 161.67.