Pep Guardiola claimed an Arsenal victory over Manchester City on Sunday would put an end to the Premier League title race, but his team would still have a lot of work to do even if they beat the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta’s men lead the table by six points, although City has home advantage and a game in hand.
If Guardiola’s side wins the match between the top two and defeats struggling Burnley on Wednesday, they would move top for the first time in months.
Arsenal, aiming for their first league title in 22 years, appear to have hit a wall in recent weeks.
The defeat to City in the League Cup final last month triggered a run of just one win in five games in all competitions.
Guardiola, on the other hand, is cautious of the challenges that await his team in the coming weeks, including challenging trips to Everton and Bournemouth.
“If we lose, yeah, it’s over,” said Guardiola at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“But the other two results, knowing that Arsenal didn’t win (against) Bournemouth, we still have games to play.
“Six games are a lot, given our calendar (run-in), especially.”
Arsenal has also had the added pressure of beating Sporting Lisbon to reach the Champions League semi-finals in midweek, whereas City has had seven days to prepare.
Arteta praised his players’ efforts in becoming the only English team to reach the final four despite a punishing schedule in four events.
Guardiola argued that Arsenal had previously proven to be the finest club in England and advised his players not to be “distracted” by the title battle.
“They have been the best so far, but we want to challenge them,” added Guardiola.
“I said today to the players, ‘It is just a football game,’ and we have to approach it like a football game. If you get distracted by emotions, that is how you lose focus.
“What is the target? It is to perform well, and that is exactly what you have to do in all the aspects required to challenge a team like Arsenal.”
However, Man City striker Erling Haaland has described the clash as “like a final” for the title.
“It’s a massive game without a doubt. We all know the importance of this game. It’s like a final,” Haaland told Sky Sports.
“It’s probably the biggest and the best game there will be, so hopefully it can be an amazing game.
“These are the games you want to play, and these are the moments you want to be in.”
Guardiola revealed that Nico O’Reilly, who scored both goals in the League Cup final, is fit after coming off hurt in last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Chelsea.
