Manchester City have “raised the bar to levels not seen before in football” but Arsenal are “getting closer”, says Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
Premier League leaders Arsenal visit Etihad Stadium on Sunday, with third-placed City one point behind as the title race nears a thrilling climax.
It is the first time in 10 years that only one point separates the top three after 28 games, with Liverpool second.
“It’s a massive game for both teams,” said Arteta.
“It will give us a massive boost if we win but there is a lot of games to go after that.”
Manchester City, bidding for a fourth successive title, have won 12 of their past 13 league matches against Arsenal, with their only defeat a 1-0 loss at Emirates Stadium earlier this season.
City are looking to complete back-to-back Trebles, with a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid and FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea coming up.
“They have raised the bar to levels not seen before in football,” said Arteta. “You have to keep up with that pace and that is what we are trying to do.
“We learned from the level, it’s the level we want to be at. We are getting closer in the past two or three years. We need to close that gap and try to be better than them.
“They have earned the right for everyone to look at them as an example. It has raised our level and demands to try and be like them and beat them.”
City without Stones and Walker – but De Bruyne returns
City will be without England defenders John Stones and Kyle Walker after both suffered injuries while on international duty.
Walker went off early on during the Three Lions’ 1-0 defeat by Brazil with a hamstring problem, while Stones limped out of Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Belgium because of an adductor issue.
But Kevin de Bruyne should be available having missed the FA Cup win over Newcastle, as well as Belgium’s friendlies with the Republic of Ireland and England.
“Kyle’s [injury is] more tough than John’s but they will be out – I don’t know for how many games,” said Guardiola.
“Kevin is so important. It has been a tough season for him with injuries. He has been out for a long time but he trained really well yesterday [Thursday]. We will see what he does in the next days.”
Meanwhile, Arteta said “there is a chance” Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel will all be fit for Sunday’s game.
‘We start an important time’
All three Premier League title rivals play on Sunday, with Liverpool hosting Brighton & Hove Albion at 14:00 BST before Manchester City face Arsenal at 16:30 BST.
As it stands it could be the last time the three all play on the same day until the final round of matches, albeit some fixtures are still yet to be confirmed.
With 10 games left it looks likely the race for top spot will go right down to the wire, although prediction models – compiled by Opta and data experts Nielsen’s Gracenote – suggest City are favourites despite currently being third.
“This season has been really good,” said Guardiola, whose side are unbeaten in their past 38 home games in all competitions.
“To be in contention for the three important titles now, we’ve done incredible work.
“Now it’s the last 10 games of the Premier League, we start an important time. We play the leaders of the Premier League and I’m sure the people [City’s fans] will give us what we need to perform at our best.”
Source link
