Pep Guardiola is playing down talk of a two-team Premier League title race as Manchester City prepare to face high-flying Sunderland on 1 January, with Arsenal currently five points clear and Unai Emery's Aston Villa six points off the top after a 4-1 defeat at Emirates Stadium.
City have won six straight league matches and can trim Arsenal's lead to two points at the campaign's halfway point if they win at the Stadium of Light, while Guardiola also reveals Rodri could feature after injury and stresses the title picture remains far from settled.
Asked whether Arsenal and City are now the only clubs chasing the Premier League trophy, Guardiola responds: "Are you sure? 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 will see. "
Guardiola is also keen to highlight the challenge posed by Sunderland, who sit seventh and could climb to fifth with a victory, reminding reporters of his early visit to the Stadium of Light and insisting City will need to respect a side that has already beaten Newcastle United this season.
On Sunderland, he added: "They are so tough. I remember in my first season when I went there, the crowd was unbelievable. They have beaten Newcastle [United]. Arsenal and Aston Villa could not win there. It will be really difficult, but at the same time, we are ready. "
Sunderland remain unbeaten in nine home league games this season, matching the club's strong historical starts at the Stadium of Light with a record of five wins and four draws, and that resilience on Wearside is a key reason they have become a serious obstacle for leading Premier League sides.
Our last goals at the Stadium of Light pic.twitter.com/OE9AyIRoeKManchester City (@ManCity) December 31, 2025
Manchester City vs Sunderland: Sunderland form and Premier League title race impact
Sunderland's most recent home match brought a 1-1 draw against Leeds United, when Simon Adingra scored and offered fresh attacking threat, and head coach Regis Le Bris believes that display can build confidence during a demanding winter run that has placed extra responsibility on several squad members.
Le Bris explains the winger's situation in more detail, reflecting on Adingra's development through this busy schedule. "It was obvious that this period was a busy period with fewer players, so it means more opportunities to get game time," Le Bris said of the winger. "He's still a talented playerit's just sometimes you can have a tough period with less confidence and so on. He worked hard, and he's well-connected with the club now, so it's not a surprise. I hope it will continue. "
Manchester City vs Sunderland: Key players shaping the Premier League title race
Granit Xhaka has emerged as a creative force for Sunderland, providing five Premier League assists before the turn of the year, the best Sunderland return at this stage since Andy Reid produced six assists in the 2009-10 campaign while also dictating play in advanced areas.
Against Leeds, Xhaka delivered a complete midfield display, recording the highest number of final-third entries with 13, attempting 24 passes into that zone, more than any other player on the pitch, and fashioning three chances, underlining why Sunderland rely heavily on Xhaka's distribution.
pic.twitter.com/P8tJCD53ZgSunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) December 31, 2025
For City, Rayan Cherki is becoming a consistent attacking outlet, having contributed to eight goals in the last nine Premier League appearances, with one goal and seven assists, and the playmaker is starting to influence games regularly from advanced positions.
Cherki both scored and assisted in the same league match for the first time in City's recent win over Nottingham Forest, reaching that milestone in his 13th Premier League appearance, and that performance suggests Cherki may again be central to City's attacking plan at Sunderland.
Manchester City vs Sunderland: Historical records and Premier League title race numbers
Recent head-to-head results strongly favour City, who have won seven consecutive Premier League meetings with Sunderland since a 2-2 draw in April 2014, while their previous longer winning streak against the same opponents lasted nine matches between December 2002 and December 2009.
At the Stadium of Light, Sunderland have lost their last three league home games against City, a clear contrast to an earlier period when Sunderland defeated City in four straight top-flight fixtures on Wearside, showing how momentum in this fixture has shifted over the past decade.
New Year fixtures provide another layer of context, with Sunderland avoiding defeat in the first league game of each of the last seven calendar years, recording three wins and four draws since a 1-0 Championship home loss to Barnsley in 2018, which was their last opening setback.
City also start years strongly, having won their first league match in 18 of the last 19 calendar years, including the previous 13 in succession, with the sole exception in this period being a 1-0 defeat away to Sunderland on 1 January 2012, a result that still stands out.
City's away record against newly promoted clubs is another key indicator; they have suffered just one defeat in their last 30 such Premier League trips, winning 23 and drawing six, with the only loss being a 3-2 reverse at Norwich City in September 2019, followed by a 17-match unbeaten sequence.
That current run against promoted opponents includes 14 victories and three draws since the setback at Carrow Road, underlining why analysts still expect City to manage the pressure at the Stadium of Light despite Sunderland's strong home form and the wider narrative around the Premier League title race.
Data from Opta reflects these trends and gives City a clear advantage based on historical and current metrics, though Sunderland's home resilience and recent results against leading clubs suggest the contest could still be competitive and tactically tense.
| Team | Opta win probability |
|---|---|
| Sunderland | 17.5% |
| Draw | 19.6% |
| Manchester City | 62.9% |
Overall projections still lean towards a Manchester City win in this Premier League fixture, but Sunderland's unbeaten home record, key contributions from players such as Granit Xhaka and Simon Adingra, and Guardiola's own caution about the Premier League title race all add intrigue for supporters watching from across the Middle East and beyond.
