- Man City host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday
- Six points separate the sides but City have a game in hand
- Erling Haaland highlights the importance of a victory
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland says Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Arsenal will be ‘like a final’ ahead of the top two sides facing each other at the Etihad Stadium.
This weekend sees Man City host Premier League leaders Arsenal in what has been billed as a season-defining fixture. Indeed, victory for either side would make them firm favourites to win the title.
The two rivals meet for the third time this season, after drawing 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium in September, followed by last month’s Carabao Cup final which Pep Guardiola’s side won 2-0.
Unlike their last encounter, no trophy will be awarded at full-time on Sunday. However, Haaland believes the game still feels like a cup final and carries the same importance.
Erling Haaland brands Man City’s next match a cup final
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s enormous clash at the Etihad, Haaland discussed the challenge facing him and his teammates on Sunday and beyond.
The Norwegian believes Man City won what was essentially a cup final last week against Chelsea. However, the Arsenal game and every match afterwards are also like finals, meaning City have no choice but to win.
He told Sky Sports: “It’s always a nice fight. It’s always good to play against the best, because that’s something you want to do. It’s a massive game, without doubt.
“We all know that. We all know the importance of this game. It’s like a final, like last weekend was against Chelsea, it was a final as well.
"This game is like a final" 🗣️
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 17, 2026
Erling Haaland looks ahead to Man City's huge clash against Arsenal on this Sunday ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/icEXoW3Mbf
“We have a final every single weekend now for the next six weeks, so it’s a massive game. It’s probably the biggest and best game it will be, so hopefully it can be an amazing game. These are the games you want to play and the moments you want to be in.”
The Premier League title race is going down to the wire
With weeks remaining of the season, this year’s title battle looks to be one of the closest in Premier League history.
Arsenal lead City by six points ahead of Sunday’s game, but a win for Guardiola’s side would reduce that to three, and the Carabao Cup winners still have a game in hand over the Gunners.
Checking in 👋 pic.twitter.com/jQZmI73Kay
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 16, 2026
As a result, that six-point gap could be reduced to zero over the next week or so. Should two title rivals finish level on points, a title play-off match is still a possibility if they cannot be separated by other means.
That has never happened before in the Premier League. The last title race to be decided on goal difference occurred in 2012, when Sergio Aguero’s famous late strike against QPR snatched the title for City from rivals Man United on the final day.
Haaland’s goals will be crucial to City’s late title challenge
Goals are always important in football, for obvious reasons. However, with this year’s race so close, scoring as many as possible becomes an even greater priority.
As mentioned, there is little to separate the top two. Arsenal currently have a goal difference of 38 compared with City’s 35, while the Citizens have scored once more than their rivals.
Should they claim victory on Sunday, Guardiola’s team would be three points behind, with a game in hand on the Gunners.
That would mean if both sides then win all their remaining fixtures, they will finish level on 85 points, making goal difference and goals scored the deciding factors.
Haaland will therefore need to be at his best in the coming weeks if City are to edge ahead on that front, which means repeating the kind of display he produced in the FA Cup against Liverpool.
