Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confessed the Premier League title race will be over if his side fail to beat West Ham United on Saturday.
City enter this round of fixtures seven points behind Arsenal, with a game in hand over the Gunners and the chance to further close the gap when the two sides meet in April.
By the time City face West Ham on Saturday, that gap may have stretched to 10 points. Mikel Arteta’s side are in action earlier in the day against Everton, leaving Guardiola believing anything less than perfection will not be enough for his side’s hopes of reclaiming the Premier League title.
“Now it’s West Ham that defines the Premier League,” said Guardiola. “The league is the most difficult title. I believe it’s the most difficult one.
“Now we go there knowing that if we drop points, it will be over.”
The Games That Could Decide the Premier League Title
While City’s chances of upsetting the odds and beating Arsenal to the title are obviously slim at this stage, the race remains open from a mathematical perspective.
City need a slip-up from Arsenal. That much is obvious. Guardiola would love for that to come as early as Everton on Saturday afternoon, but the Gunners do still have a handful of tricky fixtures to navigate if they want to be crowned champions.
When Arsenal return from the international break next month, they will face a tricky Bournemouth side eight days before the monumental trip to the Etihad. That clash of the giants may well decide the fate of the Premier League title race.
Even if City manage to beat Arsenal on the day, they will still need a favor from elsewhere. Newcastle United are the final opponents on the Gunners’ April calendar sheet, before May brings meetings with Fulham, West Ham, Burnley and Crystal Palace.
There are no easy games in the Premier League, but Arteta will be delighted with that run of four matches to close out the season. The opportunities for a slip-up are shrinking, and Guardiola will know this.
City, meanwhile, have to sort themselves out first. The title race was in their hands just a few weeks ago before a shock draw with relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, and now a miserable defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Champions League has sent morale tumbling.
April brings games against Chelsea and Burnley either side of the Arsenal clash, before a tricky run-in involving Everton, Brentford, Bournemouth and Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa.
How Arsenal’s Remaining Premier League Fixtures Compare to Man City
|
Arsenal |
Man City |
|---|---|
|
Everton (H) |
West Ham (A) |
|
Bournemouth (H) |
Chelsea (A) |
|
Man City (A) |
Arsenal (H) |
|
Newcastle (H) |
Burnley (A) |
|
Fulham (H) |
Everton (A) |
|
West Ham (A) |
Brentford (H) |
|
Burnley (H) |
Bournemouth (A) |
|
Crystal Palace (A) |
Aston Villa (H) |
|
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Crystal Palace (to be rearranged) |