Pep Guardiola won't change his preparations for Manchester City's clash with Premier League leaders Arsenal on account of the Gunners' run of three draws in a row.
That stutter in Arsenal's title challenge has put City's destiny back in their own hands as they have played two games fewer than the leaders and trail by just five points.
However, with Arsenal visiting the Etihad on Wednesday in a game Guardiola described as a 'final', the manager warned his players not to underestimate Mikel Arteta's side due to their 2-2 draws with Liverpool and West Ham, followed by a breathless 3-3 clash with Southampton on Friday night.
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He explained: "I didn’t see the game against Southampton but I saw the first half vs Liverpool and they had momentum, I saw the first half hour against West Ham when I was at home and they had momentum, I know how difficult it will be.
"They are huge competitors from the manager to the players and if they sustain that, we have to be there.
"I would say that they went to Anfield and got a result – that’s not easy. You can drop points there as we know – we won once in the six or seven years I’ve been here. I know how difficult that is. When you play teams like West Ham, they are fighting to survive and it’s difficult for everyone. So the results were tight.
"Everyone plays for something. Champions League, Europa League, staying up. It’s difficult and of course it can happen to us. The momentum can go and we can lose."
With Phil Foden back from surgery and promising performances from fringe players including Stefan Ortega and Sergio Gomez in the FA Cup semi-final win over Sheffield United, Guardiola insisted City are in good shape going into the final stage of the season.
"We go game by game, everyone is fit, we don’t have injuries," he noted on Saturday. "Phil is back. We can rely on Sergio, Stefan, everyone is going to contribute. In the locker room we were incredibly happy and satisfied, a final is a final – this is the FA Cup and we’ll be here against United or Brighton. Keep going and move forward.
"Even though they draw the last three games, the way Arsenal play is difficult to stop. You have to read exactly what you have to do but it’s a massively important game for us. If we win it’s a step to getting it completely in our hands. The Premier League is 11 months, working, working. We have this opportunity and we want to take it."
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