Pep Guardiola explains shocking Manchester City starting XI decision against Arsenal | OneFootball

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola named an unchanged starting XI for the third game in a week as his side take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

City enter the fixture in north London with two wins in the last seven days against Manchester United and Napoli, with the Blues recovering from their pre-international break slump as they lost successive games against Tottenham and Brighton.

Having endured a sub-par 2024-25 campaign marred by injuries across his squad, Guardiola and his staff have been very cautious with managing workload across the dressing room as they look to dethrone Liverpool as Premier League champions this term.

Rodri has started each of Manchester City’s last three games and has started for the Blues in north London on Sunday evening, with Guardiola naming the same lineup in three successive games for only the third time during his nine-year tenure at the Etihad Stadium.

Speaking to Sky Sports prior to Sunday’s 16:30 UK kick-off at the Emirates Stadium, Guardiola was asked for this thoughts on an unchanged lineup to face Mikel Arteta’s men, who inflicted a damaging 5-1 defeat on the Blues in the fixture in February.

“Always I surprise myself, yeah. I don’t understand myself most of the times. That is the reason why,” Guardiola said in a chirpy tone.

“No, a lot of changes and not just tactically; in the team, and for the new players in the winter time and now, eight or nine (new) players. And yeah, they give me good vibes, and continue with that!”

City have taken a 1-0 lead over the Gunners heading into the interval in north London, with Erling Haaland notching his seventh goal of the 2025-26 season in six games. Arsenal have dominated possession in the first half and the visitors have been patient to wait for opportunities on the counter attack.

Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Everton at Anfield, with little margin for error for the teams competing at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday in the race for the title.

Asked if he has kept the league table in mind with his team selection for Sunday’s game, Guardiola added: “I know your intention: We’re going to lose the Premier League today, right?

“I’m pretty sure your intention is the fact if we don’t win, we are going to lose the Premier League. I know it.”

Arsenal have brought on Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka at half-time as Arteta gambles his strongest chips to overturn a narrow deficit, with Noni Madueke going off despite causing Manchester City all sorts of problems in the opening 45 minutes.