Pep Guardiola has urged his Manchester City side to 'prioritise' Sunday's Premier League trip to Everton after stating that Arsenal will "definitely" win all of their remaining league fixtures.
The Citizens currently sit top of the table and one point clear of second-placed Arsenal with a game in hand after winning each of their last 10 top-flight matches.
Guardiola's treble-chasing City side are having to manage both domestic and Champions League duties, with Sunday's trip to Goodison Park sandwiched between both legs of their semi-final clash with Real Madrid, who were held to a 1-1 first-leg draw at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Everton, meanwhile, held City to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season and Guardiola is expecting another tricky test against the Merseysiders, who boosted their survival hopes with an impressive 5-1 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday.
"Goodison Park during my six seasons here always has been so difficult," Guardiola said at a press conference on Friday, "For the environment and now for the momentum (they have). Sean Dyche is a good trainer of his team.
"They have the history and quality of the team. Brighton is one of the toughest places to go. The result was a real impact not just in table, but in Everton's mood. It's a big result. Everyone we saw, we thought that every team will play for something special, and it will be tough.
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"Everything can happen. Everton score the first goal in the first minute at Brighton and get an incredible result. Defensive structure and physicality they have at Everton is really good. Everything can happen in a football game."
Commenting on Man City's hectic fixture schedule, Guardiola added: "(Sunday's game) is also (difficult) because it's between Champions League games, but my thoughts are just on Everton, no more than that, so we have to just focus on this game.
"We are 11 months working for Premier League, I don't want to be distracted by the Real Madrid game. We don't have much time, because we play Sunday. Thank you so much. It's a real, real priority the game at Goodison Park."
Guardiola believes that claiming maximum points against Everton is a must if they are to remain at the Premier League summit as he feels that title rivals Arsenal will end the campaign with three victories from their final three games.
"Definitely [Arsenal] are going to win the three games they have left," said Guardiola. "I would like the games they have against Brighton, [Nottingham] Forest, Wolves to drop points, but with long weeks to prepare they will do it with nine points."
While City have won 10 successive league games, the Gunners have dropped nine points in their last six, three of which were dropped in the 4-1 defeat against the Citizens last month.
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Man City defender Nathan Ake is Guardiola's only injury concern ahead of Sunday's clash against Everton, with the 28-year-old missing the draw with Real Madrid after pulling his hamstring in the 2-1 Premier League win over Leeds United last weekend.
Asked for an update on Ake's fitness, Guardiola said: "Much better, but I don't know (if he can play on Sunday). We have training in a few hours and we will see."
Guardiola has also reacted to Erling Braut Haaland being named the 2023 Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and Premier League Player of the Month for April, adding: "I think it's well deserved. Congratulations to him of course."
Haaland scored six goals in four top-flight games last month and has scored a remarkable 51 goals in total across just 47 games in his debut campaign for City, including 35 Premier League goals in 32 appearances.
The 22-year-old, who has suffered with a few niggling injuries this season, has only completed the full 90 minutes in 27 of his 47 games, and there have been some suggestions that Guardiola will manage the striker's minutes on Sunday ahead of next Wednesday's encounter with Real Madrid.
However, Guardiola has stated that Haaland is capable of playing for "a while" during City's busy fixture schedule, adding: "He had a really intense game in Madrid, he could not have done if tired [but] I would say yeah, he can go a while, I think it's fine."
Man City will move four points clear at the top of the Premier League with a win over Everton, before Arsenal play hosts to Brighton at the Emirates Stadium a few hours later.
Oliver Thomas
