Pep Guardiola has declared that the Premier League title race will effectively be over if his side lose to Arsenal this weekend.
A victory for the Gunners would stretch the gap to nine points, while three points for City would reduce it to three with six games remaining.
“If we lose, it’s over,” Guardiola said.
“But with the other two results, and knowing that Arsenal didn’t win against Bournemouth, we still have games to play.”
The two sides played out a tense 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture at the Emirates earlier this season. However, City got the better of Arsenal more recently, winning 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final last month to lift their first trophy of the campaign and spark a much-needed upturn in form.
The Cityzens are in excellent form, winning three games in a row, against Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea, scoring 9 goals, and keeping clean sheets in all games.
Should City win, the pressure ramps up on Arsenal, who are desperate to win a league title for the first time since 2004.