PEP'S MIK OR BREAK TIME

Guardiola and Arteta in title showdown

- JEREMY CROSS

IT COULD prove to be the game that decides the destiny of the title.

First versus second, sorcerer against apprentice, reigning champions bidding to put the long-time league leaders back in their place.

So much is on the line when Arsenal host Manchester City tonight that it makes the clash the biggest and most anticipated of the whole season.

Domestic duels do not come more significant than this. If City win, Pep Guardiola's men will leapfrog Arsenal at the top of the table on goal difference.

If Arsenal triumph, Mikel Arteta's side will have a six-point cushion with a game in hand and their first title in two decades will be theirs to lose.

Both managers know each other inside out due to a long friendship that saw them work together at the Etihad, until Arteta decided to go it alone.

There will be no shocks or surprises when it comes to team selection, formations and tactics. This game will be decided by those on the pitch, not off it, which is how it should be.

The touchline antics of both managers will be worth the admission fee alone.

But the eventual outcome will depend on which star names show up and perform when it's needed most, because that's what the best players do.