´Are you certain?´ – Guardiola doubts two-horse title race
Pep Guardiola dismissed the notion that only two clubs remain in the Premier League title contention ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Sunderland on New Year’s Day. Arsenal triumphed over Aston Villa 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, extending their lead at the top of the table to five points ahead of second-place City, while Unai Emery’s squad now trails behind by six points. A win for City, who have achieved victory in their last six league matches, would bring them back within two points of the Gunners at the season’s halfway mark. However, Guardiola, who confirmed Rodri might participate on Thursday, pointed out that the race is still tight, particularly with the high-flying Sunderland as their next opponent. When asked whether City and the Gunners were the sole title contenders, Guardiola remarked: “Are you certain? A few weeks ago, it was just Arsenal, two days ago, it was three (teams) in the title race. And now it is just one. We shall see.” Regarding Sunderland, he added: “They are extremely tough. I recall my first season there, the atmosphere was incredible. They have managed to defeat Newcastle (United). Arsenal and Aston Villa have not secured a win there. It will be very challenging, but simultaneously, we are prepared.”
Our last goals at the Stadium of Light pic.twitter.com/OE9AyIRoeK — Manchester City (@ManCity) December 31, 2025 Sunderland is currently positioned seventh in the table and could ascend to fifth if they secure a victory against City. They remain unbeaten at the Stadium of Light this season, having avoided defeat in each of their initial nine home matches of a Premier League season for only the third time (W5 D4). Sunderland managed a 1-1 draw with Leeds United in their most recent match, with Simon Adingra contributing their goal, and Regis Le Bris is optimistic that this can serve as a catalyst for his growing confidence. “It was evident that this stretch was packed with fewer players, which means more chances for game time,” Le Bris commented regarding the winger. “He’s still an incredibly skilled player – at times, players experience tougher phases with lower confidence and so forth. He has put in great effort, and he’s well-connected with the club now, so this isn’t surprising. I hope it will persist.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sunderland – Granit Xhaka Granit Xhaka has registered five assists in the Premier League this season, the highest by a Sunderland player before the end of the year in a season since Andy Reid in 2009-10 (six). Against Leeds, Xhaka had the most entries into the final third (13) and delivered 24 passes into that area, exceeding any other player on the field, while also creating three chances.
pic.twitter.com/P8tJCD53Zg — Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) December 31, 2025 Manchester City – Rayan Cherki Rayan Cherki has been involved in eight goals during his last nine Premier League outings for Man City (one goal, seven assists). He both scored and set up a goal for the first time against Nottingham Forest last time out, marking his 13th appearance.
MATCH PREDICTION: MANCHESTER CITY VICTORY Since their 2-2 draw in April 2014, Man City has claimed victory in their last seven Premier League meetings with Sunderland, with their longest winning streak against this opponent stretching from December 2002 to December 2009 (nine wins). Furthermore, Sunderland has lost their last three Premier League home games against City, despite winning four successive home encounters before this. Sunderland has not experienced a loss in their first league match in any of the last seven calendar years (W3 D4) following a 1-0 home defeat to Barnsley in 2018 in the Championship. Conversely, City has proven equally dangerous in their opening matches; they have achieved victory in their first league game in 18 out of the last 19 calendar years, including the last 13 in a row. The lone exception in this streak was a 1-0 loss to Sunderland on New Year’s Day 2012. City has suffered only one defeat in their last 30 away Premier League matches against promoted teams (W23 D6), with that loss occurring when they fell 3-2 to Norwich City in September 2019. They remain unbeaten in their last 17 matches since that defeat at Carrow Road (W14 D3).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Sunderland – 17.5%
Draw – 19.6%
Manchester City – 62.9%
Published: 2025-12-31 21:31:00
source: www.soccernews.com
