If Manchester City lose, ‘it’s over’, says Pep Guardiola ahead of the Arsenal Premier League title battle

Pep Guardiola said an Arsenal victory over Manchester City on Sunday would end the 2025-26 Premier League title race but his side would have much more work to do even if they beat the Gunners.

Mikel Arteta’s men have a six-point lead at the top of the table, but City have home advantage and a game in hand on the leaders.

Should Guardiola’s side win Wednesday’s battle between the top two and struggling Burnley, they would top the table for the first time in months.

With the aim of winning a first league title in 22 years, Arsenal appear to have hit the wall in recent weeks. Defeat to City in last month’s League Cup final has sparked a run of just one win in five games in all competitions.

However, Guardiola is wary of the challenge that awaits his side in the coming weeks with tough visits to Everton and Bournemouth ahead.

«If we lose, it’s over,» Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

«But the other two results, knowing that Arsenal didn’t win (against) Bournemouth, we still have games to play. Six games is a lot, especially considering our calendar (run-in),» he added.

Arsenal have also had to deal with the extra effort of getting past Sporting Lisbon to reach the Champions League semi-finals in midweek, while City have had seven days to prepare.

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Arteta praised his players’ efforts to become the only England side to reach the last four despite a brutal schedule across four competitions.

Guardiola insisted Arsenal have shown they are the best team in England so far and warned his players they would be «distracted» by the focus on the title race.

«They are the best so far, but we want to challenge them,» Guardiola said.

«I said to the players today: ‘It’s just a football match’ and we have to approach it like a football match. If you are distracted by emotions you lose focus. What is the goal? It is to perform well, and that is exactly what you have to do in all aspects necessary to challenge a team like Arsenal,» he added.

However, City striker Erling Haaland has described the clash as “like a final” for the title.

«It’s without a doubt a huge match. We all know the importance of this match. It’s like a final,» Haaland said. Air sports.

«It’s probably the biggest and best game there will be, so hopefully it will be a great game. These are the games you want to play and these are the moments you want to be in,» he noted.

Guardiola confirmed that Nico O’Reilly, who scored both goals in the League Cup final, is fit despite coming off injured in the 3-0 win over Chelsea last weekend.

However, captain Ruben Dias remains sidelined.

Published on April 17, 2026