Before the game, Arsenal have 70 points and Manchester City, with one game less played 64.

Manchester City vs. Arsenal

This is the big game – Manchester City vs. Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, in what increasingly feels like a winner-takes-all showdown in this year’s Premier League title race. The North London side go into the game at the top of the table, albeit with a narrow lead that City can close, while Pep Guardiola’s side also have one game less played than their rivals.

Bukayo Saka will have to sit out, Martin Ødegaard’s match form is still uncertain, and Erling Haaland’s form will be one of the key details to keep an eye on.

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The two sides met in the League Cup final just a few weeks ago, but this match might feel even bigger, as it’s almost like a cup final for the Premier League title in itself – while potentially giving Arsenal a springboard to compete in the Champions League.

Here we go through the six most important things to watch out for in Sunday’s summit clash at the Etihad Stadium

Can Arsenal have to play for a draw – and is that enough?

Although the pressure on Arsenal is in a way greater ahead of this game, because they are chasing their first league title in 22 years, it is worth remembering that City really need the win more – otherwise their title hopes will probably be over. In that case, we could see Arsenal play for a draw, as it may suit them to rely more on their strong defence, especially when they have so many key attacking players out injured. Still, it feels like the one thing Arsenal have lacked in their last title games is the big away win. They have drawn their last two visits to the Etihad, which is progress since the very painful 4-1 defeat in 2022/23, but a little more attacking ambition in the goalless draw later the following season could have sent the title to North London rather than Manchester.

However, it is important not to let emotions get the better of Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta knows for sure that one point keeps City at a comfortable distance, with the fate of the trophy out of their hands.

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How will the League Cup final affect the players’ psyche?

We know that these two met recently in another big game, and then it was City who drew the longest straw, after a 2-0 win over Arsenal at Wembley. This is the perfect test for Arsenal’s players – they stood by and watched City lift the trophy and cheer in front of them. Can you answer? Can you learn from the mistakes of that day? Or will that loss only hamper their performance? City are by far the most experienced team when it comes to crossing the finish line and winning major trophies, so you would think that would only boost their confidence ahead of this game. Profit tends to breed more profit, but this season hasn’t exactly been a big team by City, so can some self-righteousness also sneak in?

Season statistics 2025/26

What should we make of Arsenal’s great form against top teams?

Before the defeats to Liverpool and Manchester United this season, Arsenal were on a long unbeaten streak against the so-called “big six” teams in league matches. Arteta usually knows how to extract something extra from his players in these important games, but the catch is that City – especially away from home – have been an exception to that rule. Arsenal have drawn their last two games at the Etihad, and were just seconds away from winning by ten men last season, but it is undoubtedly a difficult arena for them, as the north London side have not won there since 2015. With Arsenal not in great form right now, while City have picked up, this is unlikely to be the game they would choose if they could decide for themselves, but it’s also true that they don’t have to be perfect – a draw there for the third season in a row wouldn’t be a bad result anyway.

How will injuries affect the match?

Another concern for Arsenal is the huge number of injuries they have had. Bukayo Saka has been confirmed out, and it is still unclear whether Martin Ødegaard, Jurriën Timber and Riccardo Calafiori will return. Even if they do, they are hardly in top shape. City, on the other hand, have mainly an injury-free squad, with Pep Guardiola confirming that Nico O’Reilly will return, although Rúben Dias is still out – a pretty big loss – while Joško Gvardiol is also long-term injured. The problem for Arsenal is that the most important injuries are in attack, which is already the biggest weakness in the current squad. Noni Madueke is certainly no replacement for a fully ready Saka, and even though Eberechi Eze’s return is a big boost, there is no one else who can control a game like Ødegaard does. Eze was missed in the League Cup final, so he could create some striker finesse for Arsenal in the final third, but all in all, the current situation only means that the north London side will have to set themselves up quite defensively.

Can Erling Haaland find his way back to great form?

Strangely enough, it has gone a bit under the radar, but Erling Haaland has actually not been in good form for quite some time. The Norwegian has good records against Arsenal – he scored both home and away against them last season, as well as in the meeting at the Emirates earlier this season. In total, Haaland has 33 goals in 45 games this season, but in his last 13 league games, he has only three goals, two of them from the penalty spot. Of course, it would be foolish to overlook the fact that he recently scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup win against Liverpool. It is possible that we are about to see him find his way back to his best, but at the moment he does not look like someone who is going to have a lot of fun against William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães.

Can Arsenal respond to the “collapse stamp”?

We’ve all seen it by now, so the Arsenal players have probably done it too. Of course, we’re talking about the viral video from the weekend when City won 3-0 away to Chelsea just one day after Arsenal stumbled in a 2-1 loss at home to Bournemouth. That kind of thing must ignite Arsenal to show the critics that they are wrong. This is a club that has been ridiculed and bullied as collapse specialists for far too long. They are unlikely to ever get a better chance to finally change people’s perception of them.