Man City vs Arsenal date and kick-off time clear as Premier League announcement set

Manchester City face Arsenal next month in what looks set to be a Premier League title-deciding clash, and further details on the showdown are due imminently

The Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester City in mid-April is set to play a huge role in deciding the title race.

The Gunners restored their five-point gap at the top by beating Chelsea on Sunday, but Pep Guardiola's side have a game in hand and also welcome their rivals to Etihad Stadium.

Though that meeting is only next month, both teams have six fixtures to contest across three different competitions before then. Three of those are in the Premier League with Arsenal taking on Brighton, Everton and Bournemouth while City face Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Chelsea.

The Carabao Cup final between the two and Champions League last-16 fixtures are the other huge games to come. While the Wembley showpiece could hand one team a psychological advantage in the title race, it is the European knockouts which have a direct impact on their league clash.

Though the Premier League are yet to announce the TV selections for April, City vs Arsenal is almost guaranteed to be on Sky Sports at 4:30pm on Sunday, April 19, and not just because it will be the biggest game of the season.

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That is because the quarter-final second legs will take place just a few days before the top two face off, with the following midweek free. That means there is no need to have the game played on the Saturday as neither team, presuming at least get beyond the last-16, will be in action the following Tuesday.

FA Cup ties are also likely to play a role with both teams facing the possibility of re-arranged games to accommodate semi-final appearances.

Arsenal have been handed a favourable fifth round tie against Mansfield Town while City face the daunting prospect of Newcastle United at St James' Park in just under two weeks.

City are already set to have a tight turnaround of fixtures in the closing weeks of the season with their game in hand against Crystal Palace needing to be moved from Carabao Cup final weekend.

Arsenal saw their match against Wolves set for that game week brought forward by over a month but Palace's participation in the Conference League play-offs meant that could not happen for Guardiola and Co.

While fixtures are set to play a massive role in deciding where the silverware ends up in late May, injuries are also expected to be a major factor.

This past weekend, Guardiola was without star striker Erling Haaland while Nico O'Reilly also went off with a potential issue making both doubts to face Forest.

In north London, Declan Rice was taken off with a possible knock against Chelsea and Martin Odegaard missed out entirely. Arteta will therefore be sweating on the fitness of the midfield duo for the trip to Brighton.

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