City are five points behind Arsenal heading into Wednesday’s big game but we also have two games in hand.
Victory at the Etihad would close the gap to two points and the boss thinks this would tip the balance in our favour heading into the remaining seven matches of the 2022/23 campaign.
He said: “When we started this season, first game, second game, third game, after back-to-back Premier Leagues, it is not a final.
“Now the last few months I have had that feeling with the FA Cup and Champions League and Premier League, that is the truth because we see the end is real, real close.
“Now we know exactly what we’re playing for.
“We have had many months to arrive at this part of the league to have the chance in our hands.
“Of course, they have it in their hands too, because if they win it depends on them. The destiny will be in their hands.
“But if we win, definitely the destiny will be in our hands. Then we still have seven games left.”
While the boss wants the pendulum to swing in the Premier League to his sky blue side, he also stressed that the result wouldn’t decide the race, insisting ‘it’s ‘important but not decisive’.
He continued: “It’s really good to be here.
“After the first round of the Premier League, [with what] Arsenal have done, it’s difficult to think we are here in that moment.
“So it’s a really, really important game because we can get points and our biggest opponent this season cannot.
“It’s really important, not decisive because there’s still many tough games for both sides. We have more games to play but we can’t deny how important it is.”
In the cauldron of our home stadium, between two top sides, what will win the day?
Guardiola insists ‘personality and quality’ will be key when the game kicks off at 20:00.
He added: “In these games we decide or they decide to make it intense and make it aggressive, always the spaces are there, it depends on the personality and quality of the players to have the ball under pressure.”
