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Published On 17 Apr 2026<\/span>17 Apr 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u2060Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola \u2060has called Sunday\u2019s Premier League clash with leaders Arsenal a final, saying defeat would end his side\u2019s title hopes before the much-anticipated showdown at the Etihad Stadium.<\/p>\n City trail Arsenal by six points but have a game in hand, \u2060and victory would cut the gap while ramping up the pressure as the race enters its decisive phase.<\/p>\n list of 4 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n Guardiola, however, said there was little room for error, acknowledging that anything less than three points would leave his team facing too steep a climb.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, obviously,\u201d the Spaniard added on whether he sees \u2060the game as a final. \u201cIf we lose, it is over.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the fine margins, Guardiola said City are confident, stressing that belief is crucial at this stage of the season.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you could buy confidence in a supermarket, we would buy it immediately. It is one of the most important aspects,\u201d he told a news conference. (Our confidence) is good. We are ready,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cA month ago, because we dropped points in moments, I thought we would not be here. (But) we \u200csaw the calendar and said, \u2018OK, we play Arsenal at home for a chance. It is six points. It is not a short distance, but we have a chance to do it.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThat is the situation we are in. It depends on our behaviour, and everything will be said on Sunday. Our fans have sold out. Everything is perfect to play a game.\u201d<\/p>\n Guardiola said Nico O\u2019Reilly, who scored twice in City\u2019s 2-0 League Cup final win over Arsenal, is fit after he left last weekend\u2019s game at Chelsea clutching his left hamstring.<\/p>\n That thrilling victory was part of a solid City run of form, including a 4-0 throttling of Liverpool in the FA Cup \u2060quarterfinals. They have not lost a league game since mid-January.<\/p>\n City\u2019s results have begun to sow unease among Arsenal \u2060fans.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we play like the second half (of the League Cup final) during 95 minutes and they play like the second half, we are going to win. Well, maybe not, because football is unpredictable,\u201d Guardiola said.<\/p>\n \u201cI know (Arsenal manager) Mikel (Arteta). They are going to adjust something, and we have to prepare to do it. In the end, it is more simple. It \u2060is how your players individually win the me-against-you.\u201d<\/p>\n Guardiola insisted City must still raise their level if they are to sustain a title push through the final weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to get even better,\u201d he said. \u201cThe first half against \u2060Chelsea (a 3-0 win on Sunday) was not bad but not great. The first 30 minutes \u2060against Liverpool was not good either. The first 30 minutes against Arsenal in the final, they were better.<\/p>\n \u201cYou cannot pretend that these kind of teams will be 90 or 95 minutes perfect, but this one aspect is not about the future, present or past, it\u2019s about confidence, which is an incredible aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if City are underdogs, Guardiola played down the label. \u201cI understand \u200cyour message, but maybe we\u2019re not,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have been the best so far, but we want to challenge them.<\/p>\n \u201cI said today to the players, it is just a football game, and we have to approach it like a football game. If you get distracted by emotions, that is \u200chow \u200cyou lose focus.\u201d<\/p>\n Guardiola said City remain proud to still be challenging on multiple fronts, even if Sunday\u2019s result could prove decisive.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will see what happens,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it is never over until it\u2019s over, and we are still here. I am proud to be there, still challenging them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Published On 17 Apr 202617 Apr 2026 \u2060Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola \u2060has called Sunday\u2019s Premier League clash with leaders Arsenal a final, saying defeat would end his side\u2019s title hopes before the much-anticipated showdown at the Etihad Stadium. City trail Arsenal by six points but have a game in hand, \u2060and victory would cut […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n
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