Manchester City will be hoping to boost their hopes of retaining their Premier League crown when they face title rivals Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.. City signed off for the international break with a routine 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, boosting their chances of retaining that particular crown as well. However, full focus now switches back to the bread and butter of the Premier League and a vitally important week.. The Blues head into Sunday’s tussle with Gunners third in the table, one point and two places behind their opponents. Arsenal went into the recent hiatus top of the pile after City and Liverpool drew 1-1 at Anfield on March 10.. READ MORE: How behind closed doors game shaped City transfer plans. READ MORE: Gareth Southgate’s spiky response to John Stones injury as seven City players doubts vs Arsenal. With just one point separating the three of them, there is virtually nothing to split them as we approach the business end of the campaign. They each have 10 games remaining.. With the race for the top prize in English football looking as though it could go down to the wire, this weekend’s action could go a long way towards determining the outcome. With that said, MEN Sport has picked out four things that City would like to come to fruition to make it the best weekend possible for them.. City send out a statement. After drawing each of their two meetings with Liverpool this season and losing 1-0 to Arsenal in the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium back in October, City need to try and secure three points against one of their main competitors. Despite their injury issues, they still head into this game as favourites, not least because they are at home.. City are still unbeaten on their own patch in all competitions this season and have won 10 of their 14 league games at the Etihad, drawing four. City have also won each of their last two on their own patch in the league.. Looking at the clash with Arsenal in isolation, the Gunners, of course, head into the Easter Sunday clash one point better off in the standings, meaning a three-point haul for them would open up a four-point cushion. Though that would not guarantee them the title it would give them a huge injection of confidence and belief.. De Bruyne returns. Kevin De Bruyne missed the FA Cup clash with Newcastle due to a groin strain, resulting in him being absent from the Belgium squad over the break. But as his international colleagues prepared for their clash with England at Wembley earlier this week, De Bruyne was pictured training at City’s training ground out on the grass.. Kevin De Bruyne will be hoping to return this weekend. (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images.). Guardiola will provide more clarity on his fitness and condition when he speaks to the media later this week, but the fact he was out on the grass can only bode well. For a game of such importance, City will want to rely on his services if he is available.. If he is deemed fit enough to be involved in some capacity, either as a starter or via the bench, it will give the Blues a huge lift. Despite missing most of the campaign through injury, he has still managed to rack up 13 assists in just 14 appearances and chip in with two goals as well.. Brighton give City a helping hand. Ahead of City and Arsenal going toe-to-toe at 4.30pm on Sunday, Liverpool take on Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield at 2pm. Liverpool know that if they avoid defeat they will return to the top, even if just for a short period of time.. The nature of that fixture means the current top three could find themselves positioned in any order come the end of the day. The best case scenario that Liverpool could hope for is for them to win and City and Arsenal cancel each other out and draw.. For City, the dream scenario is to beat Arsenal and hope Brighton can beat Liverpool. However, Jurgen Klopp’s men are still unbeaten at home in all competitions this term.. Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, however, has a fine record against Jurgen Klopp. Since taking over from Graham Potter at the Amex, De Zerbi has yet to lose against Liverpool, drawing 3-3 at Anfield and then enjoying two wins, one in the league and the other in the FA Cup last season. When the two sides met earlier this year, the game finished 2-2.. De Zerbi has been linked with replacing Klopp at Anfield in the summer. City would love him to put in a fine audition this weekend.. City avoid anymore injuries. If anything is going to significantly derail City’s hopes of winning the title this season, it will be the increasing amount of injury issues they are encountering. Guardiola will be questioned about the latest on the injury front when he speaks to the media ahead of Sunday’s game and it is possible his answer will be long.. John Stones was forced off for England against Belgium, just days after Kyle Walker limped out of the defeat to Brazil. Ederson is still in the process of recovering from an injury, likewise Jack Grealish and De Bruyne.. City cannot afford to suffer anymore blows between now and the end of the campaign, particularly to key personnel. Guardiola would probably prefer to keep his stars wrapped in cotton wool until 4.30pm on Sunday.
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