**Manchester City defender Rayan Ait-Nouri has discussed his side’s chances of usurping Arsenal in the title race in his debut season at the Etihad Stadium.**
The 24-year-old has enjoyed a fine few weeks of regular starts since returning from injury and the Africa Cup of Nations, establishing himself as a key component of a Manchester City side who have turned a corner following a poor January.
Ait-Nouri joned Manchester City from Wolves for £31 million last summer and after excelling at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States in June 2025, the Algeria international suffered an injury in the Blues’ second Premier League game of the season – in a 2-0 defeat at home to Tottenham in August 2025.
Nico O’Reilly’s excellent form at left-back meant Manchester City did not miss Ait-Nouri as such but the left-back’s recent return to fitness has allowed the 20-year-old Englishman to revert to his natural midfield position.
Manchester City have won four games on the trot and avoided defeat in their last seven outings in all competitions as they look to keep the pressure on an Arsenal side who have allowed the Blues to claw their way back into the title race in recent weeks.
Mikel Arteta’s men suffered a further setback after throwing away a two-goal lead against Wolves at the Molineux Stadium on Wednesday night, leaving Manchester City five points adrift of the north Londoners with a game in hand.
City face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley in March before welcoming the Premier League leaders to the Etihad Stadium in a potential title-deciding clash at the Etihad Stadium in April, by which time the title race could have taken several more twists.
Pep Guardiola and co will be smelling blood as they once again look to capitalise on Arsenal’s inability to retain their lead and build on it to stake a solid claim for their first Premier League title in over two decades.
In a YouTube interview with independent Manchester City media channel [Blue Moon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MSOXVUnVDw&t=1s), Ait-Nouri gave his two cents on a fascinating title race ahead of Sunday night’s meeting with Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium.
“Manchester City is always there,” the left-back said. “There are big challenges coming, so we need to be ready, take it match by match.
“It’s a very big club, everyone wants to win. That’s most important. We train every day for these matches and victories. We need to stay ready, keep working.”
Ait-Nouri is expected to start against Newcastle United this weekend as Manchester City aim to build on their recent momentum and give Arsenal something very real to worry about in the business end of the campaign.