Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City stars that a shock defeat against Leicester today could end their hopes of winning the Premier League title.
Guardiola’s side host second-bottom Leicester knowing a victory would close the gap on leaders Arsenal to three points.
But the City manager is convinced Arsenal will not slip up again after last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Liverpool gave the champions renewed hope of a fifth title in six seasons. Arsenal make the short trip across London to face struggling West Ham tomorrow, with Guardiola expecting Mikel Arteta’s men to punish any slip from second-placed City against Leicester
“Everybody knows that if we lose games we lose competitions. That’s why our attention to details is higher,” Guardiola said. “It’s the same tomorrow – if we lose the game, we will not be champions. If we win we could still be there. But we cannot forget, we are six points behind Arsenal, a team who have dropped few points during the season and have one game a week, with a lot of time for recovery, to analyse and prepare for games. It’s so difficult if you drop points. That’s why you have to be there as much as possible.”
While Arsenal have just their eight remaining league games to play this season, City are still chasing a treble. They will defend a 3-0 lead in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich and face Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals, before hosting Arsenal in a crucial league clash on April 26.
Guardiola’s side have coped well with heavy schedules in the past and he hopes they can use it to their advantage again. “Sometimes our experience, when we are playing games every three days, every four days, we are in rhythm and focus and that helps us,” he said. “In the past it was like that, playing competitions until the end. Sometimes when you have a week between games you lose this type of feeling.”
Fuelled by Erling Haaland’s record-breaking goal spree, City are peaking at the right time, with nine successive victories in all competitions. Kevin De Bruyne’s creative quality has also played a big role in City’s surge, but Guardiola was forced to deny he had an issue with the Belgian after he looked frustrated at being substituted against Bayern on Tuesday.
“It’s normal. It’s not the first time it has happened in modern football, it has happened in all other clubs. It will happen in the future,” he said. “I understand completely. Everyone wants to play but in the right moments I try to do the best to win the game.”

Arsenal need ‘luck’ to hold off rampant City, says Arteta
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will need “luck in the right moments” if they are going to finish as Premier League champions above rampant City.
The Gunners squandered a 2-0 lead at Liverpool at Anfield last week to draw 2-2, with City now favourites to be crowned champions for the fifth time in six years. “You need luck in the right moments,” Arteta said. “It’s another part of this sport – sometimes it’s about inches and those inches need to go your way.”
Arteta’s men can focus entirely on chasing their first Premier League title since 2004, while City also have an FA Cup semi-final next week against Sheffield United and one foot in the last four of the Champions League. Arsenal and City meet at the Etihad Stadium on April 26 in a pivotal moment in the title race. Asked if he envisioned fighting for the title at the start of the season, Arteta said “yes”.
“You go day by day,” he said. “There is so much that happens every single day, every month at a football club. The aim when I took the job was to bring the club back to where it belongs, fighting for and being around every single trophy that it is possible (to win) at the highest level.
“That’s what we are trying to do. We are happy with where we are. Now we have to finish the job and demand an extra bit from everybody.”
Arteta admitted goal difference could be a key factor in the title race – the Gunners have a goal difference of plus 43, compared with City’s plus 48. “We think about every possibility,” he said. “Obviously, we want to win matches first and earn the right to win them, and then we want to score as many goals as possible, but we have to be open to everything and any possibility.”
Arsenal will again be without William Saliba against West Ham as the France defender continues to recover from a back problem, but forward Eddie Nketiah is available for selection.

Fixtures
Today (1400 GMT unless stated): Aston Villa v Newcastle United (1130),
Chelsea v Brighton, Everton v Fulham,
Southampton v Crystal Palace,
Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth, Wolves v Brentford, Manchester City v Leicester City (1630)
Tomorrow: West Ham v Arsenal (1300), Nottingham Forest v
Manchester United (1530)
Monday: Leeds v Liverpool (1900)