Joao Cancelo described reports he fell out with Pep Guardiola as a "lie" and said the Manchester City boss and the club "gave me everything".

Portugal full-back Cancelo joined Bayern Munich on loan for the rest of the season in one of the more surprising moves of the January transfer window.

Cancelo had found himself out of the team at the Etihad Stadium and it was suggested he had a bust-up with Guardiola.

However, the former Juventus defender said he is grateful for what Guardiola has done for his career.

Speaking to Movistar after Bayern beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, Cancelo said: "People who say that I fought with Guardiola [it] is a lie. 

"I didn't feel important in the team in the last games. I spoke with the coach and he also agreed. And together with the club we decided that I had to leave, that it was the best for me."

Cancelo's contract at City runs until June 2027 and he conceded it remains a possibility he will play for the club again in the future.

"I like the new opportunities, it's not against City," he added.

"I think that at City he has taken the step to the level he wanted to reach, that's where I became the player I am today. 

"I am grateful to both Pep and the club because they gave me everything. My daughter was born in Manchester and it's a club I'll never forget. 

"And who knows, in football you never know and at the end of the year I can return."

Draymond Green has questioned the Golden State Warriors' "will to defend" after they slipped to 29-29 for the season in their last game before the All-Star break.

The reigning NBA champions were beaten 134-124 by the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, conceding 44 points in the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena.

The Warriors have conceded on average 118.5 points per game this season, with only the Charlotte Hornets (119.1), Detroit Pistons (119.7) and San Antonio Spurs (122.7) faring worse.

That is a significant rise on their average of 105.5 points against per game in the regular season last year, which was the third-best in the league.

"It has to come from within," Green said. "Defense is all about will, a want to defend.

"Defense isn't fun. You've just got to do it if you want to win, and we haven't.

"It's the will to defend, stop and guard your man, and sink, and drop the box and rotate. Defense is just one or two steps extra... that's all will, and we don't have that as a team."

Kawhi Leonard top-scored for the Clippers with 33 points, while Norman Powell recorded 24, getting away 17 field-goal attempts despite only being on court for just over 25 minutes.

"Every guy has to decide to take on that challenge himself," Green added. "That challenge isn't just guarding the ball. The challenge is I'm supposed to be there to help, and that guy has to be able to trust that I'm going to get there. 

"If he doesn't trust that I'm going to get there, then what do you do? You foul. We all know that's been a problem for us.

"I can be better. I'm as much of a culprit as anyone else. I'm not going to point the finger at anyone or point blame. If you're a leader at something and you are failing at it, it's your fault."

Green also acknowledged Golden State's need to improve quickly or risk missing out on the playoffs, as they sit ninth in the Western Conference.

"It's now or never," Green said. "We are .500 at the break. Middle-of-the-pack team with those middle-of-the-pack stats.

"You've got to come out of the break and win and do it at a high level, or you go home at the beginning of April. I wouldn't be happy with that. But that will be the result if we don't get there."

Part-timer Matija Pecotic had to put a request in for another day off work to play in the second round of the Delray Beach Open after pulling off a shock win over Jack Sock.

The Croatian came through qualifying to make his ATP Tour main-draw debut in Florida and the 33-year-old is through to the last 16 after a 4-6 6-2 6-2 victory against former world number eight Sock on Tuesday.

World number 784 Pecotic has a full-time job in finance and he will be in the money after setting up a meeting with Marcos Giron in the last 16 of the ATP 250 event.

The Princeton and Harvard graduate's boss was in his box to watch him see off Sock and Pecotic hopes he will get a chance to book a quarter-final spot on Wednesday rather than return to balancing the books.

He quipped: "I had to leave work early today. I had to send an email to the whole team. [My boss] let me off. I'm going to have to ask for another day off tomorrow."

Pecotic, who served 10 aces and struck 30 winners, added: "I certainly didn't expect to win, but certainly didn't come into the match thinking that I'm definitely going to lose.

"You've got to be realistic. This is a former top 10 guy with an incredible amount of tennis experience, with a huge serve.

"He came out serving 134 [mph] on the first serve. It would be arrogant to think that I'm going to come out and expect to win.

"But I certainly figured if I could sink my teeth into the match and work on the two or three patterns that I prepared before, that I'm going to have a chance. And then let's see... if I was going to fall under pressure or not be able to serve it out at some point. But I didn't and I got the win."

Mercedes have revealed the new W14 car tasked with getting them back to the top of Formula One in the 2023 season, with Lewis Hamilton insisting it shows they "mean business".

The design is a return to a predominantly black car, with Mercedes using minimal paint in an effort to reduce weight.

Mercedes surprisingly finished third in the constructors' championship last season, 244 points behind winners Red Bull.

"We've redesigned, optimised, and innovated so many parts of the car and that is impressive," Hamilton said. "And I love the new livery. It says: 'we mean business'."

Hamilton finished the season sixth in the drivers' championship, behind team-mate George Russell (fourth), but the seven-time world champion sounded confident about the new car giving him a chance of challenging again this year.

"I love being part of a team that is working towards a common goal," he said. "I always believe I can get better. I always love that challenge, the physical and mental element, having to deep dive and extract more performance from yourself and the people around you.

"The car is always changing, there's always new tools, and I love that. I'm planning to stay here a little bit longer."

Team boss Toto Wolff is also confident Mercedes can challenge Red Bull and Ferrari again, though admitted they are "playing catch-up."

"Our hopes and expectations are always to be capable of fighting for a world championship," Wolff said. "However, our competitors were very strong last year, and we are playing catch-up.

"Racing at the front requires resilience, teamwork, and determination. We face up to every challenge, we put the team first, and we will leave no stone unturned in the chase for every millisecond.

"This year, we are going all in to get back in front."

Wolff also admitted faults with last season's car, which led to focus on how the weight could be reduced to maximise performance.

"We were overweight last year," Wolff added. "This year we have tried to figure out where we can squeeze out every single gram. So now, history repeats itself."

The new season begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has urged those responsible to learn from their mistakes after the findings from an independent review into organisational issues at last season's Champions League final were revealed earlier this week.

The showpiece clash last May between Liverpool and Real Madrid – which the latter won 1-0 – was twice delayed before kick-off at the Stade de France, with fans unable to enter the ground and tear-gassed by police.

UEFA initially blamed Liverpool fans attempting entry with "fake tickets" before an independent review, commissioned by European football's governing body, said it was in fact the organisers who had been responsible.

The report released on Monday apportioned "primary responsibility" to UEFA, while also criticising the actions of the French Football Federation and local police authorities.

Liverpool have demanded action from UEFA following what the report described as a "near-miss", while club captain Jordan Henderson said it must be a "turning point" for the treatment of fans.

"I think it's super-important that, finally, it's official, let me say it like this," Klopp told Liverpool's official website. "I'm not sure, at least in my life, there was never a case with more evidence, where I knew more about [it] when I was not directly involved, because I was on the other side of the wall in the stadium, pretty much.

"But families, friends, they were all there and everybody knew how our supporters behaved, but it really feels good, it feels just right that it's now official and everybody knows it now because there were so many things said after the game, which we knew they were wrong. It was just lies. So, I'm really happy that it's finally said officially."

The report outlined 21 recommendations for avoiding similar incidents in future, including for safety and security to be at the forefront of planning and matches to be managed with a "facilitation and service" approach towards supporters, rather than viewing them as a public order problem.

"There were big mistakes made," Klopp added. "That they had to change the venue a few months before [from Saint Petersburg to Paris due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine]... I understand and that's difficult. But to put it into a stadium which is not used regularly, so just for some big events and stuff like this and not all the time. 

"So, as an example, I'm German and this is why I say it, but as an example if you used Berlin – a big city, enough hotels, is used to having every two weeks big events with 70,000 people in the stadium and stuff like that, it would have been exactly the same, but the supporters wouldn't have been from Germany, but from Spain and England [and] that would be the only difference.

".Big events are organised so often and when you are under pressure, you have time pressure, you still have to make the right decisions and that's [a] responsibility for specific people. And so yes, I hope they listen, I hope they learn."

The report also said that deaths being avoided was only "a matter of chance," and mainly down to the behaviour of fans.

"I think we were really lucky that not more happened," Klopp said. "It was a day of, I'm not sure how you say it, but the day of 'goodwill lies' – when you have to lie to protect the other person.

"Because we all had messages from our people outside before the game and then the game got delayed, so we started looking at the smartphone again, 'What's happening?' We knew because people couldn't get in and everybody said, 'No, I'm fine, I'm fine...' and nobody was fine. Nobody was fine.

"Then the game started and I heard from people that everybody who was in the stadium was just there and thought, 'I made it somehow, wow.' It was not the mood you are in when you want to watch a Champions League final.

"So what it all took away and the strangest thing is that after the game, like an hour after the game, the least important information on that night was that we lost the final. That's really crazy. And that shows just how it all went."

Ultimately, Klopp just wants lessons to be learned, adding: "When you hear it [for the] first time, you cannot believe it, that that all happened in that time, but it did.

"So, yes, there's a lot to improve and I hope everybody learned from it."

Thierry Henry believes Harry Kane would have been a better fit at Manchester City than Erling Haaland.

Norway striker Haaland has scored a phenomenal 31 goals in 29 games since joining from Borussia Dortmund, including 25 in 21 Premier League games.

But some pundits have suggested the total sum of City's parts is weaker than in previous seasons due to Haaland's arrival, with Pep Guardiola's side having trailed leaders Arsenal for most of the campaign.

Tottenham striker Kane, Haaland's nearest rival in the Golden Boot race with 17, was previously linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium but a move failed to materialise before the 2021-22 campaign.

Arsenal great Henry, speaking as a pundit on CBS, believes Kane's all-round game would have been a better fit for Pep Guardiola's system than Haaland.

When asked if he would prefer Kane in his side over the prolific Haaland, Henry said: "I would say that if I had to build a team to win. 

"For example, I thought Man City were going to go for Harry Kane. We all know they wanted him but I thought they were going to come back in.

"I thought he is the typical striker for city. I think it would've been better.

"He became complete, he became an all-around player and this is what I like about him.

"We all know what he can do and all know what he can do in the box, but what he does outside of the box now for his team this is something that I have to respect massively. He became for me, over the last two, three years, a complete striker."

Henry believes the arrival of Haaland has made City easier to play against because teams know the gameplan will be to hit their star striker early.

"We all know when Kevin De Bruyne has the ball he can find him," he added.

"There was one piece of advice that Arsene Wenger gave me that stayed with me, he said: 'What can you do when your team is not feeding you?'

"I think he did stop what they were about. They had a certain way of playing. I think they are more predictable."

City face Arsenal in a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, with the Gunners three points clear having played a game less.

England Test captain Ben Stokes hailed his "exciting" bowling options ahead of the first Test of the tour of New Zealand.

Experienced duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been named along with Ollie Robinson for the Bay Oval Test, with Jack Leach providing the option of spin.

After struggling to find enough seam bowlers to field last year when several were out injured, including Jofra Archer, Robinson, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Sam Curran among others, Stokes now has a number to choose from.

And the 31-year-old said at a pre-Test press conference that it bodes well ahead of a busy summer that includes a home Ashes series.

"We've got a great crop of fast bowlers coming through England at the moment and it's exciting," he said. "It's a great place to be in now, considering the first game we had last summer when we probably had only three or four seamers to pick from. I'd rather be in a position where I'm scratching my head about who to pick.

"The one thing I did say to the medical team is just give me eight fast bowlers to choose from. We always want variety in our bowling line-up. We've got Jimmy and Broady with experience and you want some kind of X-factor in there.

"I feel heading into this summer we're in a position where we feel we've got that."

Stone and Matthew Potts were recalled as part of the touring squad, though both missed out on being named in the side for the first Test.

"With Stoney, I think it's great to have him back around the group after a potentially career-ending injury [stress fractures in his back]," Stokes added. "To see him back, bowling quick and bowling aggressively, which is what we want him to do, is great signs for us.

"Pottsy is just going from strength to strength for someone who's not played that much cricket really. I think he proved last summer what a great find he was."

Cody Gakpo was not tempted to knock on Jurgen Klopp's door to discuss the indifferent start he made to life at Liverpool.

The Netherlands forward enjoyed a fine World Cup where he scored three goals in five appearances to help his country to the quarter-finals in Qatar.

Gakpo had also scored nine goals in 14 Eredivisie appearances this season before making the switch to Anfield in the last transfer window.

However, he failed to score or assist in his first six Reds games, a barren run that coincided with a poor return to domestic action for Liverpool.

Gakpo and Liverpool found some form in the 2-0 derby win over Everton on Monday, though, with the forward scoring the second in that game.

Speaking to Viaplay Netherlands about his slow start, Gakpo said: "Of course, as a striker, you always want to score and give assists. 

"In the end, though, it's about winning and if that too doesn't work out, then it's tough.

"I have to be honest, I don't really read it [criticism]. I get it of course.

"That's not so nice for any normal person, but you have to deal with that. I don't think I get confused by that.

"I think I could have gone to Jurgen Klopp for that, but I didn't. That was not necessary for me."

Liverpool will look to make it back-to-back wins when they visit Newcastle United on Saturday.

Kylian Mbappe insisted it would not be considered a comeback if Paris Saint-Germain overturn their first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Former PSG forward Kingsley Coman scored the only goal of the game as the champions of Germany defeated the champions of France 1-0 at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.

It means Christian Galtier's men have plenty of work to do to avoid another premature Champions League exit, but France forward Mbappe is sure PSG can get the job done in Munich.

"As we said, we said we had to take the positives. It's a two-legged tie. We can't change what happened in the first leg," Mbappe said in quotes reported by PSG's official website.

"We will go there to qualify. We know that there is a possibility. There is always a good possibility to qualify. So we will go there with a lot of energy and determination.

"It's not a comeback. There's no longer the away goal. We have to score a goal and we'll be level, so we have to go there and win. 

"Play our game, play attacking football, which we know how to do and try to go there and win."

Mbappe had initially been ruled out of the first leg with a hamstring injury sustained against Montpellier on February 1.

Galtier named Mbappe among the substitutes and he entered the fray shortly before the hour, with the man himself admitting he was not supposed to play.

"I wasn't supposed to play but I wanted to play and help my team-mates," he added.

"We did everything, we worked night and day to get me some game time.

"I wanted to [start the game]. But sometimes you have to be satisfied with what you can do, and that's all I could do.

"My feeling? I was a bit concerned, but I gave everything I had and I have nothing left. Now we have to continue and recover well. 

"Like I said, get everyone back healthy and all come back at 100 per cent, and I'm sure it can go well."

It's a clash befitting a Champions League final, yet Barcelona and Manchester United will tussle twice over the next nine days just for the right to play in the last 16 of the Europa League.

A result of United's dreadful 2021-22 season and Barca's surprising failure to get out of their Champions League group means two giants of the European game find themselves in UEFA's second-tier competition.

While that might suggest a hint of both being fallen giants, these two teams are enjoying largely promising seasons, with Thursday's first leg at Camp Nou undeniably intriguing.

Barca are on course to win LaLiga for the first time since 2019, while United have made significant strides forward following the beginning of a rebuild with new manager Erik ten Hag. A Premier League title challenge could yet come to fruition.

But the Europa League is where their attention turns now, and United's bid to reclaim the title they won in 2017 – the last trophy they lifted, in fact – has them facing arguably the toughest possible challenge straight away.

The absence of Lisandro Martinez for the first leg due to suspension will be a huge source of frustration for Ten Hag, which highlights just how effective the Argentinian has been in his first few months at the club.

United prepare to suffer

Xavi's spell in charge of Barcelona to this point has been a little difficult to draw conclusions from. That's not just what critics think; there are also many, many supporters who remain uncertain.

They routinely win games without playing particularly spectacular football, and that's essentially the crux of both sides of the debate. Some fans may not be enamoured with the brand of football, but Xavi is getting results.

Since the start of the first LaLiga matchday with Xavi at the helm, Barcelona have amassed 112 points in 47 games – Real Madrid, who've played a match less, have taken 104. That's the same Real Madrid who won a league and Champions League double last year.

Now, he has Barca well on track to win the title this season. Even if they perhaps don't have the same entertainment value as Pep Guardiola's vintage Barcelona, Xavi deserves recognition for the transformation he's overseen, part of which is shown in their work rate.

They are tireless.

Former Barca coach Quique Setien, now at Villarreal, highlighted this after his team were beaten 1-0 by them at the weekend.

"There is something that this Barca has changed a lot, which is without the ball," he said. "The data is there: Barca is the team that runs the most without the ball. Seems surprising, doesn't it? Robert Lewandowski is the first defender."

How does this translate into output? Well, their 210 high turnovers is second only to Athletic Bilbao (223) in LaLiga, while Athletic and Atletico Madrid (35 each) are the only two teams to convert such situations into shooting opportunities more often than Barca (32).

Barca's 324 pressed sequences is bettered by just Athletic (330) and Rayo Vallecano (328), though Xavi's side allow their opposition on average only 8.8 passes before a defensive action. This is a low for LaLiga.

Altogether, these metrics highlight just how hard Barca work to get the ball back when they don't have it, and as such it brings into focus the kind of defensive pressure their opponents' centre-backs are put under.

The centre-back playmaker

That is, of course, where Martinez becomes relevant. Obviously his presence would likely be felt even if Barca didn't press with such intensity, as he's arguably been United's most consistent and impressive defender this season purely from a 'putting-your-body-on-the-line-and-battling-for-the-cause' perspective.

Yet, it's his ability on the ball that makes him key for Ten Hag.

Martinez's importance to United in this respect was as evident as ever during the weekend win at Leeds United. Until his 61st-minute introduction, Ten Hag's men had struggled desperately with their hosts' intensity.

Leeds were ferocious in their pressing, and although left-back Luke Shaw generally did fine in Martinez's place at centre-back, United instantly looked like they had more time on the ball once those two were in their rightful positions.

Martinez was dropping his shoulder to evade attackers, pinging long cross-field passes out to the right. Granted, you could make the case Leeds were tiring, and that's potentially a valid argument, but Martinez's performance wasn't surprising. It's just how he's played ever since making the move from Ajax.

Although he only came on with 29 minutes left, Martinez's 35 passes was only bettered by five of his team-mates and no one on the pitch (minimum three passes) had a better completion rate (85.7 per cent).

His ability on the ball makes Martinez effective at helping United resist pressure. He has lost possession 173 times in the Premier League this season, but that is just 12.3 per cent of his total touches. Only 11 centre-backs (minimum 15 appearances) have lost the ball less frequently.

This is despite his passing being positive and forward-thinking in nature, which is evidenced by the fact only Arsenal's William Saliba (22) has initiated more shot-ending sequences than Martinez (16) in the Premier League this term.

United now go into arguably their biggest game of the season – until next week's EFL Cup final – without him, a match where his strengths will have possibly been more useful than any previous fixture.

But if there's one positive, the need to highlight his importance makes a mockery of those who rushed to write Martinez off at the start of the season.

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is looking more like a two-time NBA Finals MVP every day and his shooting renaissance continued in Tuesday's 134-124 home victory against the Golden State Warriors.

Leonard, who missed the entire 2021-22 season after tearing his ACL in the 2021 playoffs, tied his career-high with seven threes as he led the Clippers with 33 points on 12-of-27 shooting (seven-of-nine from deep).

There were fears the former Finals MVP with the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors would be robbed of the remainder of his prime by the injury, averaging just 17.5 points on 47/27/79 shooting splits in his first 15 games this campaign.

But since the new year Leonard has gone up a gear, averaging 27.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.9 steals in 17 games since January 2, while shooting 52.4 per cent from the field, 48.2 per cent from deep and 91.9 per cent at the free throw line.

When asked by the media after the game about how he has managed to get back on track, Leonard said he is never worried about his percentages.

"[My jump shot] felt good," he said. "Like I've said before, it didn't matter what percentage I was at, I was going to keep shooting the basketball.

"That's what I did, kept shooting with confidence. Percentages can't save you, just because I'm shooting 40 (per cent) doesn't mean I'm going to shoot 40 the next game.

"You've just got to keep playing the game and shoot the shots that you practice."

Against the Warriors specifically, Leonard said he just rode a hot start.

"I just made shots early," he said. "Team-mates found me, I got in a rhythm, and just kept going from there.

"I like that [our new additions] stayed aggressive tonight, they didn't defer, and they just played their game.

"The West records are so close together, so every win matters, but we just have to keep getting better ourselves."

The win improves the Clippers' record to 32-28, placing them fifth in the Western Conference, although they are just 1.5 games out of the three seed, and three games ahead of the 12th seed.

Manchester City make the trip to Arsenal on Wednesday with the opportunity to move top of the Premier League table at the expense of their opponents for the first time in over three months.

Not since November 6, when Arsenal beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with another statement victory, has a side other than the Gunners led the way at the summit.

But after only two wins in their past five matches for Arsenal, and three wins in four for City, a gap that stood at eight points less than a month ago has been cut to just three ahead of their showdown at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal still have a game in hand, while the sides also still have to face off again at the Etihad Stadium in April, but the signs are pretty ominous as City chase down a fifth league title in six seasons.

A positive result for Arsenal in midweek in front of their supporters would change that perspective, but meetings between these sides over the past five seasons have only gone one way.

Ahead of their top-of-the-table tussle in north London, Stats Perform looks at Arsenal's terrible record in this fixture in more detail and whether another defeat would pave the way for yet another City title.

TEN IN A ROW FOR CITY

Not since Arsenal's most recent title tilt, back in 2015-16 when Leicester City pulled off the shock of all shocks, have they defeated Manchester City in the Premier League.

The fact Theo Walcott was on target for Arsenal in that December 2015 win, along with the evergreen Olivier Giroud, with Mesut Ozil the man pulling the strings in midfield, goes a long way to highlighting just how long ago that rare triumph was.

Since then, Arsenal have failed to beat City in 13 attempts in the top flight, losing the past 10 of those. Needless to say, that stretch of defeats is their worst run against any opponent in the competition's history.

Indeed, should they lose again on Wednesday, only four teams in Premier League history will have lost more times on the bounce against a single opponent.

That is not to say Arsenal haven't had any joy in this fixture in recent years, having defeated City en route to winning the FA Cup in the 2016-17 and 2019-20 campaigns.

Normal service was resumed, though, when the Citizens saw off a much-changed Arsenal 1-0 in last month's fourth-round tie.

KEEP YOUR COOL

City's remarkable run in this fixture includes six straight wins at Emirates Stadium in all competitions – as many victories as in their previous 61 visits to Arsenal and one short of setting an outright record for most wins in a row away to the Gunners by any club.

But exactly why is it that Arsenal have fared so badly against City, despite having Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery, Freddie Ljungberg and now Arteta in the dugout across their 10-game losing run?

The Gunners were on the end of a 5-0 thrashing in their last league visit to the Etihad Stadium in August 2021, though they put up far more of a fight in losing 'only' 2-1 when the sides met in London on New Year's Day last year.

That game is best remembered for Rodri scoring a winner in the third minute of stoppage time for City, a dramatic end to an incident-packed encounter after Arsenal had Gabriel Magalhaes dismissed for an avoidable red card.

Even then it was clear Arteta's patient work was paying off at Arsenal; though despite performing well, a fifth successive loss against his former club had a sense of inevitability about it for the Spaniard.

Gabriel's sending-off changed the complexion of that contest, while Granit Xhaka's dismissal opened the floodgates for City in their five-goal hammering in last season's other encounter.

TIME FOR A CHANGE?

Keeping 11 players on the field will be a good start for Arsenal if they are to finally take a point or more off City, but will Arteta be tempted to – as we have seen countless times from his mentor Guardiola – change things up?

That might make sense after going two games without a Premier League win for the first time this season, especially considering Arteta has named an unchanged team for six straight games.

Never before have Arsenal stuck with the same line-up for seven games in the competition, and with January recruits Leandro Trossard and Jorginho among those pushing for starts, maybe that record will stay intact for a bit longer.

Perhaps this goes beyond personnel and formation, though. For if Arsenal are to end their City jinx, they need to overcome a mental barrier that's seen Guardiola have his own way for the past five years in league meetings.

Given the fine margins, it's difficult to bill the two meetings between the sides over the next 10 weeks as anything other than title deciders.

Unbeaten in 13 home league matches – their best run since the 2018-19 season – and up against a City side on a two-game losing streak on their travels, it really does feel like now or never for Arsenal.

"The conditions next season won't be as favourable for Arsenal," legendary former Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said in the days leading up to the biggest Premier League game of the season. "So let's not waste this opportunity."

Overcome their City hoodoo on Wednesday and Arsenal truly will be favourites to land a first title since 2003-04 under Wenger; suffer another defeat and City's ascent towards another title under Guardiola will be in full swing.