The Premier League title race is coming to a close, and Arsenal vs Manchester City looks to be the deciding game for this season’s title.
After a wait that has seemed like an eternity, Arsenal finds themselves as title favorites for the Premier League with weeks to go. The Gunners have had an incredible season, and a win over Manchester City would all but ensure the title.
Unlike other London clubs, Arsenal have shown immense faith in their coach Mikel Arteta who is in his fourth season with the club. Having already won an FA cup during the pandemic, Arteta has completely revitalized his squad and made them winners again.
Some of the standout names this season for Arsenal include starboy Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard. The squad has also been bolstered with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko(from Man City), as well as Leandro Trossard and Jorghino to add to their squad depth.
Arsenal currently sits in first place, five points ahead of City but with two extra games played. A win for Arsenal would extend that lead to eight points, giving them a little extra safety. An eight-point lead, even with two extra games, is a very comfortable spot to be sitting in to play and hopefully win out your final few matches.
The North London side is currently without center-back William Saliba, who has played 27 times since returning from loan, impressing as one of the leagues leading defenders. Rob Holding has been playing in his absence, which has seen Arsenal drop out of the Europa Leauge, and draw their previous three games
The 22-23 season marks Pep Guardiola’s seventh season in England. In his time with Manchester City, he has already won four Premier Leagues, 1 one FA Cup, and five League cups, but only managed to reach one Champions League final which they lost.
There was much turnover within the squad going into the season with the likes of Zinchenko, Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Fernandinho, and Joao Cancelo all left before or during this season. They also made plenty of deals bringing in players to fill the gaps. Julian Alvarez and Manuel Akanji joined the club alongside a number of other young talents, but most notable was the signing of Erling Haaland.
Haaland has scored 32 goals in his first 28 Premier League games, adding an additional 12 goals in eight Champions League appearances this year. He has proven his talent with goals every week and will need to have a strong game against Arsenal if Man City is to win.
Manchester City have two games in hand and are only five points behind Arsenal. That gap is reduced to only two points if City win. With two games in hand and only one separating the two sides, this puts Manchester City in pole position to win the title.
The two teams have already met twice this season, once in the league and once in the FA Cup, with Manchester City winning both games. Both games were particularly sub-par performances from the Arsenal team, and they will need to do much better to help with their title push.
Beyond this season City have been the dominant side in recent times and will hope to continue their good form against the London outfit. Arsenal vs Manchester City is a match that has been played 19 times in all competitions since 2016. In that time Arsenal have only managed to win twice and lost 16 of them.
Arsenal
Manchester City
Both sides have tough challenges in the league coming up, and it will be crucial regardless of Wednesday’s result for both teams to win out the rest of their games. Brighton could pose a threat to either side as they have been punching above their weight this year. Chelsea is struggling well below their expected performance but still has a top squad that could compete at any moment.
What could end up being a factor beyond the head-to-head matchup is the number of games on each team’s schedule to close the season. Arsenal only have five more matches to play after Manchester City. Even if City wins the rest of their games, Arsenal could draw one of theirs and still walk away with the title.
Manchester City on the other hand has a slightly easier domestic schedule but with two more games to play, and a European competition to focus on. Despite their recent success in the Premier League, Man City are desperate to get their hands on the Champions League and will do anything to see that happen. Within their final seven league games they will also play Real Madrid in the Champions League Semi-Finals. This could mean more tired legs in the league and/or key players being rested for the Madrid games and left out of the league.
There is still plenty of soccer to be played until a champion is crowned, but with the table sitting as it is, Arsenal vs Manchester City could be the deciding factor.
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