Manchester City Vs Arsenal is being billed as the biggest Premier League match for years.

Title races are often decided in pivotal moments and Sunday’s meeting between the top two feels as decisive as they come.

Here, football writer Sam Cunningham tells you everything you need to know about this weekend’s monumental showdown – and why it could determine which team are crowned 2025/26 Premier League champions.

Why is this match so big?

Earlier in the season, Arsenal were opening up such a substantial gap at the top that it looked inevitable they would become Premier League champions this season.

But what could have been a 12-point lead last Saturday, had they beaten AFC Bournemouth, can shrink to only three points if Man City win the head-to-head this Sunday – and Pep Guardiola’s side would still have a game in hand that would enable them to move level.

A win for Arsenal would restore their nine-point lead, while a draw would take the title out of City's hands once more.

A repeat of the 1-1 draw that the two teams played out at Emirates Stadium in September would raise the prospect, albeit small, of a first playoff to determine the champions.

Final positions in the table are determined by separating teams by the following factors in order of:

- points

- goal difference

- goals scored

- points won in head-to-head matches

- away goals scored in head-to-head matches

If the two teams cannot be separated on any of these factors, then a playoff match will be required. And it is extremely close between Man City and Arsenal on goal difference (+35 to +38), on goals scored (63-62), while another 1-1 draw would rule out the head-to-head factors.

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen, who is now a pundit, has described this Sunday's match as the "biggest game in many, many years".

"Because it’s so close to the end of the season, it’s so important, it’s going to slingshot whoever wins, probably, to the title," Owen said. "It’s going to be so pivotal. It’s huge."

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, who won the title eight times and is also now a pundit, called it an "enormous game" and "a game that will define the Premier League season. Manchester City are smelling blood and have a free week to prepare for a monstrous clash."

Why does it matter so much for Arsenal?

It has been 22 long years since Arsenal last lifted the Premier League Trophy. Back then, they had won three titles in seven seasons and few would have predicted the wait for the next one to be so long.

In recent years, Arsenal have been the most consistent team in the Premier League, accumulating more points than anyone since August 2022, but they are yet to get over the line and win the title.

Man City hunted them down in 2022/23. In that season, Arsenal were eight points clear at the top after 29 games, but City reeled them in and won the title by five points. The Gunners had been in first place for 248 days - the longest a side have led the league without winning it.

So, is history repeating itself?

Arsenal head to the Etihad Stadium in their worst run of form this season, having suffered three defeats in their last four matches across all competitions.

Four weeks ago they lost the EFL Cup final to Man City in a warm-up for their title showdown, and they were then knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton (who play one league lower down in the Championship), before their Premier League defeat at home to 11th-placed Bournemouth last weekend.

Arsenal's only success in this period has been their 1-0 win at Sporting in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg.

The Gunners may have more points on the table at present but Man City have the momentum – and history on their side.

Why is this big for Man City?

City have been a trophy-winning machine since their manager Pep Guardiola arrived in 2016, securing six Premier League titles in nine years among many other honours.

In 2022/23 they won a rare Treble of the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FA Cup.

The three seasons since then have been transitional, with Man City seeking adequate replacements for brilliant but ageing stars. But the machine is now humming once more.

Erling Haaland is the league’s leading scorer with 22 goals. Rayan Cherki has the second-most assists, with 10. Antoine Semenyo has had a huge impact since arriving from Bournemouth in the January transfer window, and 21-year-old academy graduate Nico O’Reilly has had a breakout season at left-back and in midfield, scoring three goals in his last three games.

The run-in this season is potentially significant for Guardiola, too.

He has refused to be drawn on suggestions that this could be his last season at Man City. But if it is, winning the title in such dramatic fashion would be a fitting end.

The managers have history

Arteta and Guardiola go way back.

They first met when Arteta was in Barcelona’s academy and Guardiola, 11 years his senior, was starring in the first team.

After Arteta retired from playing in 2016, his first coaching role was as Guardiola’s assistant at Man City and together they won two titles, two EFL Cups and the FA Cup.

The experience convinced Arsenal to appoint Arteta as their manager in 2019.

Their recent title tussles have been framed as Master v Apprentice, though it is a relationship built on respect.

"I love Pep, I have admired him since I was 10 years old," Arteta said in 2024. "I respect him profoundly. I am so grateful for everything he did for me and continues to do with me. I consider him a friend."

Guardiola described Arteta as "an extraordinary manager" last year.

The rivalry has been heating up

A fierce modern rivalry has grown out of Arsenal and Man City's repeated battles for the title.

This is the third time in four years the two have gone toe-to-toe for the trophy.

As mentioned above, in 2022/23 Arsenal lost an eight-point lead and were overtaken. The following campaign, City established a slender lead and Arsenal pushed them all the way to the final day, finishing only two points behind.

Although neither team won the title last season, when Liverpool were crowned champions, the rivalry between them remained intense.

After Man City denied Arsenal their first win at the Etihad Stadium for 10 years, by equalising in the eighth minute of stoppage time, Haaland told Arteta to "stay humble".

Later in the 2024/25 campaign, Arsenal beat Man City 5-1 at Emirates Stadium and Myles Lewis-Skelly celebrated his goal by mimicking Haaland's "Zen" meditation pose.

Earlier this season, Haaland gave Man City the lead in north London but Arsenal took their turn to force a draw with a stoppage-time equaliser, scored by Gabriel Martinelli.

What drama is now in store this Sunday, when the stakes are higher than ever?

Where to watch Man City v Arsenal

To find out which broadcasters are covering the match in your country, head to our Watch Live page.

Follow all the build-up through the week and get live updates on Sunday on premierleague.com and the Premier League app. You can download the app for free via the Apple app store, and Google Play store for Android devices. (premierleague.com)

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