Kuala Lumpur – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been brutally honest about the stakes in Sunday’s Premier League showdown against Arsenal. The Spaniard admitted that a defeat at the Etihad Stadium would effectively end City’s hopes of winning the 2025/26 Premier League title.
In his pre-match press conference, Guardiola stated clearly: “If we lose, it’s over.”
City currently trail leaders Arsenal by six points but still have a game in hand. A victory on Sunday would reduce the gap to three points, keeping the title race alive heading into the final stretch of the season.
Guardiola had high praise for Arsenal, describing them as the strongest team in the league this season.
“They are so strong in all departments — duels, physicality. If you allow them to make a good process by not being aggressive, they make a good buildup. That’s why they are who they are. Top of the Premier League all season,” he said.
Despite a tough recent schedule, Guardiola expressed pride that City are still in a position to challenge Arsenal.
He also touched on the Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal earlier this season, where City triumphed 2-0 thanks to two brilliant goals from Nico O’Reilly, who has now fully recovered from a hamstring injury. Guardiola expects Mikel Arteta to make tactical adjustments for the upcoming rematch.
“If we play like we did for 95 minutes at Wembley and they do what they did, we will win. But football is unpredictable. I know Mikel a little bit; they will change something, and we have to be ready,” he added.
The highly anticipated Manchester City vs Arsenal match is scheduled for Sunday, April 19, 2026, at the Etihad Stadium, with kick-off at 4:30 PM UK time (11:30 PM Malaysian time).
This fixture is widely seen as one of the biggest “finals” of the 2025/26 Premier League title race. A win for Arsenal could put them on the brink of the championship, while a City victory would turn the remaining weeks into a thrilling battle.
