City head to St Mary’s eight points behind the Gunners at the top of the Premier League but with a game in hand and the two sides still to meet at the Etihad Stadium on April 19.
Ahead of that clash, City have two other Premier League matches starting with Southampton at 17:30 (UK) on Saturday with Leicester City at home the following weekend.
Sandwiched between those two games is the Champions League quarter-final first leg against German champions Bayern but Guardiola is only thinking about the trip to St Mary’s.
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“Arsenal is in 10 days so we will see,” he said. “Absolutely, [we need points against Southampton and] Leicester and Arsenal.
“If we drop points, Arsenal will be champions in advance. After, if we win, win, win we will maybe champions in the end on the last day of the season.”
Asked if Erling Haaland needed minutes to be considered for the Champions League clash with Bayern on Tuesday night, the boss said: “Bayern is our last thoughts it’s Southampton - the Premier League is every day, every week. Depends on that.”
