Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola says their trip to Arsenal this afternoon will be one of the toughest challenges of the season – but he is of the opinion that meeting them so early in the season will not be decisive in terms of the title race.
The Gunners pushed City all the way in last season’s race to become champions. Mikel Arteta’s side led the way for much of the campaign before they overhauled them in the final stretch of the campaign.
City will travel to the Emirates on Sunday having won six out of our first seven league games to top the table going into this weekend.
Questioned about the significance of the game when addressing the media at Friday’s pre-match press conference, Guardiola said it was far too early in the campaign to assign too much importance to the fixture.
Instead, he said City’s main priority through this month was in seeking to secure Champions League qualification through to next February’s knockout stages.
“This will not define a lot. It will be different when they come here at the Etihad – then it will depend on the situations we are in.
“What I want is to arrive here in February when we start the Champions League to be in the competitions and that it’s close. To be close to the top of the league and keep the distance short and make the last 10 games in our competition ‘OK let’s do it again’.
One thing Guardiola is all but certain about is that the Gunners will be serious contenders once more for the league crown.
Arsenal have bolstered their squad with the capture of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, David Raya and Justin Timber, although the defender has sustained a long-term injury. -www.mancity.com
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