Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admits he is nervous heading into a top of the table clash against Arsenal in this mouth-watering Premier League fixture at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.

The Gunners are five points ahead of the defending champions, but City has the upper hand because they have two games in hand and Arsenal has drawn their last three games.

Guardiola is trying to win his fifth Premier League title in his seven years in England. He thinks that his nerves are a good sign that he still wants to win.

“It is a good sign, being a little bit nervous,” said the Catalan coach at his pre-match press conference.

“Being nervous is part of our lives, being anxious is part of our lives, being scared is part of our lives. We don’t have to be perfect.

“When we educate our kids, they (think they) have to be perfect for Instagram and TikToks, and this kind of thing, they have to be a genius.

“But I would say the uncertainty, things that happen before a game, happen. When I feel that feeling I know it’s normal. The problem would be if I didn’t have that feeling.”

Bookmakers now make City the favourites to not only defend their title, but also become the only English team to win the Premier League, the Champions League, and the FA Cup in the same season. Manchester United did this in 1998/99.

But Guardiola said he expects a response from Arsenal after they drew with Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton, the team at the bottom of the table, in the past few weeks and saw their lead shrink.

“Always I had the feeling that it would be so difficult to play them at this stage but, after three games dropping points, it will be much, much more difficult now,” added Guardiola.

“I would have preferred it if they had come here with better results than the three last results when they didn’t win a game.”

Both teams will be missing key defenders. Manchester City won’t have Nathan Ake, and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is worried about William Saliba.

Without the Frenchman, Arsenal has given up seven goals in their last three games. They need to find a way to stop Erling Haaland, who has scored 48 goals for City, from scoring.

But Arteta has told his young team to take advantage of the “incredible” chance they have to surprise the football world by coming back at the Etihad and keeping the title in their own hands with five games left.

“It is going to be a tough night and challenge, yes, but the opportunity is incredible for us,” said the Spaniard.

“You want to be champion, you have to win these matches, it is as simple as that.”

Photo by EPA/TOLGA AKMEN