Manchester City has started to catch up to Arsenal in the Premier League standings and will have the opportunity to continue their pursuit of a fifth title in six years during their upcoming match.
A game that was expected to decide the title for Arsenal is now a game they urgently need to win as their position at the top is slipping.
City, who are used to winning at the end of the season, are chasing a treble, while Arsenal’s young team is struggling with a lack of confidence.
They had the opportunity to have a significant lead over City, but they drew their last three games, giving up 2-0 leads in two of them, including a chaotic 3-3 draw with the last place team, Southampton.
Following an intense match, where Arsenal struggled to score until the end when Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka finally scored, the team fell to the ground in exhaustion. Fans left the stadium concerned that the team’s hopes of winning their first title since 2004 were diminishing.
Arsenal are still in the lead by five points with six games left to play, but Manchester City have two games in hand and are in excellent form having won 25 points out of 27 in their recent games.
Statistician Simon Gleave from Gracenote data company stated that Arsenal’s draw with Southampton decreased their chances of beating City to 21%, while City’s probability of finishing top has increased to 79%, according to Gleave.
If the opposing team doesn’t get their first away win against City since 2015, then City will have control over the fate of the title.
Before the match, Coach Mikel Arteta acknowledged that it will be a difficult challenge, but he also sees it as an amazing opportunity for Arsenal, given their success in away games this season.
To become champions, we must defeat City and we were aware of this from the start. It’s a straightforward necessity to win these important matches.
Manchester City has reduced Arsenal’s lead and advanced to the semifinals of the Champions League. They also reached the final of the FA Cup after easily beating Sheffield United.
Guardiola’s team has a busy schedule, but their well-funded and skilled squad makes people confident that they can achieve the rare feat of winning three major English competitions, known as the treble, which has only been accomplished by Manchester United before.
Arteta acknowledged the exceptional skill of Erling Haaland, City’s prolific goal scorer, and noted that his performance is unmatched compared to other players due to the team’s setup being tailored to his strengths.