Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola's has called his team's game against Arsenal on Wednesday a "final" and asked for support from "all of Manchester", adding that he hopes Etihad Stadium will be full three hours before kickoff.
Guardiola's reigning champions and the Gunners — led by his former City assistant, Mikel Arteta — have been the outstanding teams this season in the top flight, leaving their rivals out of contention in a title race Arsenal lead by five points with two fewer games to play than Man City.
City had originally been scheduled to host the game in October before it was postponed to accommodate a rearrangement of Arsenal's Europa League game against PSV, and the showdown has looked tantalisingly like a key moment in the campaign ever since its new date was announced.
Four-time Premier League winner Guardiola did not shirk the significance of the occasion, after which Arsenal will have five remaining games and City seven. "It's a massively important game for us," he said, speaking after his players outclassed Championship opponents Sheffield United to reach the FA Cup final and move closer to a treble of England's flagship domestic knockout competition, the Premier League title, and a first UEFA Champions League triumph.
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"Momentum is key. Wednesday is a final against the team who have been the best team in England so far. They are five points ahead of us. Hopefully all of Manchester will be blue and will come to support us. We need incredible noise from the first minute until the end.
"The Premier League is 10 or 11 months of working, working, working. We want to take this opportunity. Hopefully the Etihad will be full three hours before the game."
Arsenal's ascendancy in 2022/23 has restricted City to two appearances at the top of the Premier League this season, most recently when they won 3-1 at Emirates Stadium through late goals by Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland on February 15.
City promptly faltered when they salvaged a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest in their subsequent game, and Guardiola is keenly aware that every match holds the danger of dropped points.
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"The games in the Premier League are tight," Guardiola said, pointing to Arsenal's current run of draws at West Ham and Liverpool and, on Friday, against Southampton, when the bottom side in the Premier League were 3-1 up in the 87th minute before their hosts embarked on a remarkable comeback.
"Everyone is playing for the Champions League, Europa League, to stay in the Premier League. That’s why it’s difficult. We can go and lose.
"I didn't see [their] game against Southampton, but I saw the first half against Liverpool and they had momentum. I would say that going to Anfield and getting a result is not easy. You can drop points. We won once [there] in six, seven years while I’ve been here and have drawn a few and lost, so I know how difficult Anfield is.
"And when you are playing West Ham, who are looking to survive, it is difficult for everyone. For the first 20, 25 minutes against West Ham, they had momentum. I know how difficult it will be. They are huge competitors, starting from the manager to the players.
"Even though they have drawn their last three games, they are difficult to stop. You have to read exactly what you have to do. Winning will be a step towards [the title] being completely in our hands."
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City have been on a formidable run of six successive league wins since that draw at the City Ground, scoring 18 times and conceding four. Guardiola emphasised the necessity of maintaining fitness and avoiding injuries, resting players including Ruben Dias, John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri in the FA Cup semifinal.
"I saw them tired," he said, discussing the perils of playing at Bayern Munich in the Champions League three days earlier.
"Rodri spoke with my staff and said 'I cannot play, I'm devastated.' When that happens, you cannot play. I had a feeling for John [Stones]. I spoke to [Ilkay] Gundogan and he said ‘no, I feel fresh.’ In these types of games, if you make a [change], you drop too much. It’s better to take it seriously."
The most anticipated game of the Premier League season did not distract Guardiola from praising Arteta when he was asked how the Spaniards' relationship has fluctuated.
"It changed because he’s in London and I’m in Manchester," he observed. "The affection and respect I have for him will remain forever — and he knows it."