Declan Rice feels Arsenal are ready to seize the moment when they travel to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon
14:10, 16 Apr 2026Updated 14:23, 16 Apr 2026
Declan Rice
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Declan Rice cannot wait for Sunday's Premier League title clash against Man City
Declan Rice insists Arsenal are ready to make a statement in their blockbuster Premier League title showdown against Manchester City.
While the Gunners maestro views the Etihad Stadium as "the ultimate test" - he's backing Mikel Arteta's table-toppers to rise to the occasion and tighten their grip on glory.
Rice said as Arsenal seek to protect and build on their six-point cushion at the summit: "It’s beautiful, I can’t wait. It’s why we play the game.
"When you’re a kid watching games and when you’re watching the Premier League, you see these big matches, these title-defining moments.
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"It comes down to if you’re going to be ready and how much do you want it? They’ve obviously been in really good form recently. No one’s going to hand you anything in this league.
"There’s been a lot of noise. But ultimately, it’s down to us as players. That’s why we’re professionals. That’s why we play this game.
"To go there and win would be a massive statement. And look, these boys are ready. We spoke as a group. We know what’s required. So yeah, bring it on."
Declan Rice of Arsenal celebrates
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Declan Rice is fired up for Sunday's clash vs Man City(Image: Getty Images)
Rice found it difficult to shake the pain of last month's Carabao Cup final defeat to City at Wembley. Arsenal watched City's trophy lift and celebrations and now the 27-year-old wants to use those emotions as fuel.
He continued: "It hurts losing every final but we had to show them respect. We shared the pitch for 90 minutes and ultimately on the day they were the better team.
"It would have been wrong for us to walk inside and not show that respect. To see them lift that, it did hurt.
"There is that fire in the stomach to eradicate that on the weekend. We have six games left in the Premier League. We know how big it is. Bring it on."
Declan Rice
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Declan Rice wants Arsenal to seize the moment against Manchester City at Wembley(Image: Vince Mignott/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
In the past two matches, the 27-year-old England international has captained Arsenal in the absence of injured skipper Martin Odegaard.
Leader Rice does not shy away from the fact the Gunners, who have won just one of their past five matches in all competitions, must improve if they are to prevail both against City and beyond.
He added following the 0-0 draw against Sporting CP which clinched Arsenal's place in the Champions League semi-finals: "I think we know that as a group. There’s no beating around the bush. We have to perform better than we did against Bournemouth - you can say tonight [as well].
"Recently, we probably made too many errors that we haven’t done in previous weeks. But we cut that out tonight, which was good."
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