(Football news) Manchester City will take on Arsenal in a potential title deciding fixture at the Etihad Stadium. Five points separate the two sides but City have played two games less, which means winning those two games will keep Pep Guardiola’s side one point ahead of the Gunners. If recent form is anything to go by, momentum has swung in City’s favour as Arsenal have had three successive draws and question marks have been raised about their ability to deal with the pressure at this crucial time.
Arsenal squandered 2-0 leads against both Liverpool and West Ham, conceding twice in both fixtures and taking only two points out of a possible six. In contrast, they were trailing 2-0 against Southampton and then 3-1, scoring twice in the last three minutes to salvage a 3-3 draw. Before this blip in form, Arsenal had secured seven consecutive victories, including three in a row by three goal margins, which resulted in the Gunners having 24 points from 30.
However, they lost to Sporting Lisbon on penalties in the Europa League, which ended their run but remained unbeaten in 10 league games. Speaking ahead of the fixture against Man City, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said “If we win tomorrow night we haven’t won the league, that’s for sure. It will shift the percentages a little bit, but with five games left after this, it will still be very tricky. We wanted to close that gap as much as we could and we’re toe-to-toe with them. We knew we had to go to the Etihad. Is it going to define the season? The answer is no.
“Mentality plays a huge part. Obviously, the belief is there. When I look at how they train and the way they’ve reacted, the mood in the dressing room and the way they defend each other, we really want it. We’re going to show that again tomorrow night. But we have to deliver in the right moment with the right performance and it has to be perfect because that’s what this last level demands – absolute perfection.”
Manchester City are unbeaten in 16 games across all competitions since their defeat to Tottenham in early February and have had 13 wins and three draws during that time period. The only team to have taken a point from them during that time frame is relegation threatened Nottingham Forest who secured a 1-1 draw thanks to Chris Woods’ last equaliser. More importantly, Man City have the experience of being in this situation and know what it takes to get the title back to the Etihad Stadium, making it three consecutive Premier League trophies for the first time in their history.
“They’ve been in this incredible form but if you look at the table, it shows we have been too,” added Arteta. “It’s going to be a tough night and challenge, but the opportunity is an incredible one for us. We have to go to Man City and we have to beat them. If we want to be champions, we have to win these matches. It’s as simple as that.” Arteta has ruled out defender William Saliba due to an ongoing back problem which means he won’t be able to face Chelsea at the weekend as well. Midfielder Granit Xhaka is also a doubt but apart from that, the Gunners have no fresh injury concerns.
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