Arsenal legend Alan Smith is expecting the Gunners to extend their lead over Manchester City between now and the North London derby at the end of February.
Mikel Arteta’s men host Manchester United this weekend at the Emirates before an away trip to Leeds. They then play Sunderland at home and Brentford away next month before facing Tottenham. Asked to assess the upcoming fixtures by Best Betting Sites UK, Smith said he actually sees Arsenal extending their lead at the top despite the tough schedule:
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“Not an easy run [for Arsenal]. Who knows? They’re well capable of getting full points. Chances are, they might draw one or possibly two. I’d still fancy them to beat Spurs. Leeds might be a tricky one.”
“Looking at City, they’ve got Liverpool away, Newcastle at home. So, the kind of form they’re in, they might drop points as well. So, the gap’s seven at the moment. I’ll say it’d go up to eight, possibly.”
Who will Man City face in their next five games?
As Smith mentions, Pep Guardiola’s team have some difficult matches coming up themselves. You could say that the home game against Wolves this weekend is a bankable three points, but their recent defeats to United and Bodo/Glimt have raised more questions than answers.
The Cityzens then have two successive away fixtures versus Spurs and Liverpool before home matches against Fulham and Newcastle.
Arsenal are heavy favourites for the Premier League title
The seven-point gap at the top of the table has made the bookies confident that the Gunners will finish top this season. Arteta’s side are currently priced at 1/6 odds-on at most betting firms.
City, meanwhile, have seen their odds lengthen to between 9/2 and 5/1 after failing to win any of their last four league matches.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here