A Pivotal Weekend in the Premier League Title Race

Karan Ahgun

ā€” 3 min read
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A Pivotal Weekend in the Premier League Title Race

This weekend will let us know who will be winning the Premier League this season as Arsenal and Manchester City face potentially tricky games against West Ham United and Brentford respectively.

After City dropped points away at Everton on Monday night, the pendulum swung even more in Arsenal's favour. The Gunners are currently 5 points ahead having played a game more, but they know that if they were to win all their remaining games, they would be crowned the Premier League champions for the first time in over 20 years. Since losing to City in April, Arsenal have won both their league games against Newcastle United and Fulham and have progressed passed Atletico Madrid and booked a place in the Champions League final. Furthermore, the Gunners' performance levels have steadily been improving as Myles Lewis-Skelly has replaced Martin Zubimendi in midfield in the last couple of games. Lewis-Skelly's presence in midfield has given the Gunners some much needed energy and incisiveness as Zubimendi started to look a bit lethargic. The return of Bukayo Saka has also been a massive help in the past couple of games. Saka has the cutting edge that Madueke doesn't and keeping him fit until the end of the season will be top of Mikel Arteta's priorities.

When City beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Etihad, there was a feeling that the momentum from this victory would push City through to another league title. But since that win, Guardiola's side have struggled to make a real impact. They only beat Burnley 1-0 and had to rescue a point late on against Everton in that thrilling 3-3 draw. City had a great chance to significantly improve their goal difference against Burnley but by only managing to score once against them, they squandered a real opportunity. They still have a game in hand to play but due to Crystal Palace's presence in the Europa Conference League final, that game will be played in a week where City will play 3 games in 7 days, including the FA Cup final. Their next game against Brentford is also not an easy one as the Bees are pushing to finish in a European spot. The permutations around European qualification also mean that Brentford could play in the Champions League next season if they finish 6th and Aston Villa win the Europa League.

Both Arsenal and City's next league opponents have incentives to win their games. West Ham are looking to avoid relegation and Brentford are hoping to qualify for European football next season. If either of the title chasers were to slip up at this stage, it could prove fatal - even more so in the case of City. Whatever happens, it's sure to be an intense weekend of Premier League action!

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