Arsenal and Manchester City are separated by just six points in the Premier League as they battle it out for the title, with six and seven games remaining respectively
21:59, 12 Apr 2026
Pep Guardiola
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Pep Guardiola's focus is on Manchester City's title charge(Image: Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
The title race is truly heating up after Manchester City closed the gap to Arsenal ahead of their top-of-the-table clash next Sunday. Pep Guardiola's side dispatched of Chelsea 3-0 and have their mind fully focused on the Gunners next week.
The Catalan coach and Gary Neville believe that additional time could be vital, with Arsenal tied up with their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP this week. The north London side hold a one-goal advantage going into that tie as they welcome their Portuguese opponents to the Emirates.
Mikel Arteta is set for a definitive week as they then make the trip to the Etihad, having recently lost to City in the Carabao Cup final. The sides are separated by six points after this weekend's win, with Guardiola's men having a game in hand.
Gary Neville believes City will be smelling blood. "We have an enormous game next Sunday, one that will define the Premier League season," he said on Sky Sports.
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"Man City smell blood. They're heading into a free week to prepare for a monstrous clash that Pep Guardiola will relish on Sunday afternoon."
Following the win over Chelsea, Guardiola acknowledged the extra time between games has already paid dividends for City. “We have long weeks now, being out of the Champions League," he said.
"We are more fresh, training everybody, people understand more what to do. That's the reality.”
It seems City's players are in the mindset to focus on Arsenal quite quickly following the victory over the Blues. Goalscorer Jeremy Doku was adamant his team-mates would be prepared to face the Gunners.
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"First of all, recover, then just analyse Arsenal again, think about what my task is going to be, look at their weaknesses and strengths and believe that we did it already," he said.
"They will come with hunger. They don't want to just give it to us so we have to go and take it. Trust me, we'll be well prepared."
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When asked about the clash's significance, he continued: "If you win this game, it is a big punch towards them. If you lose, it's in their hands and we have to wait for them to lose.
"But if we win, it's in our hands and I prefer to have it in my hands."
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