Pep Guardiola knows Manchester City have no choice but to end their Premier League hoodoo at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday, saying anything but a win will hand Arsenal the title.
Following Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday, City are one point behind the Gunners at the summit with a game in hand.
Arsenal are now in the unenviable position of needing a favour from their North London rivals, as a City win will ensure they enter this weekend’s final set of fixtures with the title race in their hands.
However, City have lost on all four of their visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League without scoring, though they did manage a 1-0 FA Cup win there in January.
Only Birmingham City (seven at Old Trafford) have played more Premier League games at a specific stadium without finding the net.
Asked about the importance of ending that record, Guardiola said: “It’s obvious, I would say. We have just one option, win the game. We will go from there.
“We played really well there many times but weren’t able to score or win games. We are trying to do something special, so we have to do that this time.
“This is the time to do it, otherwise Arsenal will be champions.”
Some Tottenham fans have expressed unease about the prospect of helping their old enemies end their 20-year wait to be crowned champions of England, but Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has hit out at those questioning his team’s motivation.
“What do you think we’re going to do as a team? Like any team on this planet, aren’t we just going to try and win? It’s a simple, basic premise,” Postecoglou said.
“Now how that makes people feel, I’m not really fussed. I don’t really care.”
Touching on City’s hunt for an unprecedented fourth straight English top-flight title, he added: “Sometimes people think once you win it once it becomes easier, but it becomes harder.
“It’s a testament not just to Pep but the whole organisation and how they want to achieve success.”