Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has brandished the Manchester City Vs Arsenal crunch Premier League tie as a final.
It will be a rollercoaster as both sides go head-to-head at Etihad next week in the Premier League.
The Premier League title race has been narrowed down to the two heavyweights.
Arsenal are hoping to land their first Premier League trophy in almost two decades while City who have emerged into perennial champions are hoping to defend the title they won last season.
Arsenal maintained their title-winning charge until they drew Liverpool at Anfield on matchday 30.
They are now three points above Manchester City at the summit and can extend the lead to six points if they can eke out a win against West Ham on Sunday, April 16.
However, after the West Ham match, they will play one game more than Manchester City and the title race will still be open with few games remaining to the end of the season.
After the London Derby against West Ham, and a game against Southampton, Arsenal will travel to Etihad to take on Manchester City in a crunch Premier League title race bout that will have serious implications on the destination of the 2022/23 Premier League trophy.
Ahead of the blockbuster tie against Gunners, City boss, Pep Guardiola label the tie a ‘final’
Speaking after the 3-1 win over Leicester City, Pep Guardiola said Manchester City will finally lose out of the Premier League title race if they lost the crunch tie to Arsenal.
A vintage first half mauling of Leicester City at Etihad saw the Premier League heavyweights close the gap on Arsenal to three points.
However, Pep Guardiola insisted the clash against Arsenal next week will settle the scores on who becomes the Premier League champion.
“It is a final to play more finals because if you lose this game, it will be almost over. Hopefully we can arrive having the chance to be there,” Pep Guardiola said.
Manchester City have defeated Arsenal twice this season – one in the Premier League and one in the FA Cup.
Mikel Arteta will be hoping to harvest a pound of flesh against City at Etihad. A draw will put the Gunners in charge of the title race but they have to wrestle and tame City’s firepower.
The Premier League champions have banged in 27 goals in their last six games in all competitions while Arsenal have scored 16 goals in their last six games.
After the Manchester City clash, Arsenal will face relatively tougher fixtures than City. They will play Southampton, Chelsea, Newcastle, Brighton, Nottingham Forest, and Wolves.
Gunners have the advantage of focusing on the Premier League title race after being eliminated from the Europa League and domestic competitions.
Manchester City have fixtures against Brighton, Fulham, West Ham, Leeds United, Everton, Chelsea, and Brentford but face a tighter schedule in their treble-chasing season.
Manchester City Vs Arsenal date, kickoff and how to watch
The match will take place on Wednesday 26 April, 2023 at Etihad. The kickoff time is 20:00GMT. You can watch the match live on beIN SPORTS and other online streaming platforms.
You can also attend the match live by buying tickets for the match on Arsenal and Manchester City websites.
