Pep Guardiola would like Arsenal to drop points even if he doesn't think he will.
Manchester City struck an important blow when they beat the Gunners 4-1 last month to take control of the Premier League title race. However, the long-time leaders have recovered well by snapping out of their four-game winless run with victories over Chelsea and Arsenal to keep up the pressure on Guardiola and his side.
City take a one-point lead to Everton at the weekend and also have a game in hand over Arsenal, but are still not in a position where they can afford to ease up in the Premier League even with the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid looming. A home game with Chelsea follows Real, before the Blues finish the season with tricky away trips to Brighton and Brentford in a week.
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Guardiola spoke recently about the difficulty of City maintaining their focus after beating Arsenal with so much noise declaring that the league was over. And even if he hopes Arsenal's opponents can do City a favour in the final weeks, he is expecting City will have to target an extra nine points to win the league
"They are definitely going to win the three games. We know exactly what we have to do to win the Premier League," he said. "Honestly, I would like them to drop points in the games they have against Brighton, Nottingham Forest, and Wolves. But I think with the long weeks to prepare, they will do nine points."
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