Manchester City welcome Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday as the two title rivals lock horns in a battle that could determine where the Premier League trophy ends up this season
Declan Rice battling with Erling Haaland
Manchester City face Arsenal on Sunday in what's shaping up to be a title-decider(Image: Rachel Le Poidevin/PPAUK/Shutterstock)
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The title race is reaching its boiling point - and it doesn't get much bigger than this. Manchester City and Arsenal go head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday with the Premier League crown hanging in the balance.
Six points separate the two sides but the equation is far from simple. A win for City would put their destiny firmly back in their own hands, given their crucial game in hand on the Gunners. For Arsenal, though, victory would feel decisive - opening up a commanding nine-point gap and leaving City with a mountain to climb.
However, Mikel Arteta's men have been wobbling in recent weeks, losing three of their last five matches, including a 2-0 defeat to City in the League Cup final. City, meanwhile, have surged into top gear, dismantling Liverpool 4-0 and Chelsea 3-0 in dominant fashion this month.
Momentum, then, appears to favour Pep Guardiola's side - especially with Arsenal potentially feeling the effects of their midweek Champions League clash with Sporting. Still, City have managed just one win in their last seven meetings with Arsenal, making this showdown anything but predictable.
Alan Shearer - Man City win
"The whole season effectively comes down to this game. I think it's huge and the biggest game of the season for both clubs," Alan Shearer told Betfair. "Confidence and momentum is such a big thing, which is why I'm going to say a Man City home win. I think the belief they'll get from beating Arsenal in the Carabao Cup and the performances of the last couple of weeks.
"I think a draw would be a good result for Arsenal but I think City might have too much for them. Arteta knows there's been no panic from Pep, has there? It's always been pretty consistent, and they always cone good at this time of the year, and it looks as if they are.
"They've won their first trophy and could even end up getting the treble. I just think with the momentum that they've got and the confidence that they've got, I think they might have too much. It'd be really interesting to see what Arsenal do, whether they sort of sit back or try to take the game to City, but I think City might just have too much for them."
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer thinks Man City will be too strong for Arsenal(Image: George Wood, Getty Images)
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Gary Neville - draw
"I think it's going to be a draw on Sunday and I think it'll be 1-1," Gary Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast. "They have a midweek game in the Champions League which might actually be helpful for them. If Arsenal had a week to think about this game I don't think that'd be helpful at all."
Paul Scholes - Man City win
"I think City will win easily," Paul Scholes told a visibly shocked Neville. "Just comfortable. Unless they get someone sent off or something stupid. I think they'll win comfortably. Two or three [nil]."
Gary Neville points to Paul Scholes
Gary Neville was shocked by Paul Scholes' prediction that Man City would "win easily"(Image: Stick to Football)
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Paul Merson - Man City win
"You can't see anything but a Manchester City win," former Arsenal star Paul Merson told Sportskeeda, warning the Gunners could be "destroyed" at the Etihad. "I saw Arsenal in the first 15 minutes against Sporting in the Champions League and told my boy it would be 0-0. You just can't see them scoring!
"I can't see Arsenal winning all their remaining games if they lose to City on Sunday. It's hard to watch Arsenal at the moment," Merson continued. "But the players need to look at the bright side of it. If they beat City, the league is done and they win it. That is how they must think about this game.
"If Arsenal go to the Etihad, sit behind the ball, absorb all the pressure and try to play for a draw, they will get destroyed by City! I don't know what Arsenal turn up for this game. They need to take the game to City here.
"I'm desperately trying to make a case for Arsenal, but I’m finding it extremely hard to do so. My heart says draw, but my head says Manchester City win. Football is so unpredictable and Arsenal will be hoping this game goes in their favour against all odds. But the way they’ve been playing is a big concern."
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 15, 2024 in London, England.
Paul Merson isn't confident his former team will get the job done(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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Chris Sutton - Man City win
"The Gunners are good defensively... but their problem is that they don't look like they are going to score," Chris Sutton wrote on BBC Sport.
"There are still a lot of things that are good about Mikel Arteta's side with the way they press and how organised they are but they are struggling to break teams down. They are lacking that bit of flair in the final third, which is where you fancy City really, but then Arsenal don’t need to win this game either.
"A draw is a good result for them, so Arteta's side are not going to approach it with all guns blazing – they will play with balance and, if they get the job done with a boring 0-0, they will be a step closer to winning the title.
"As for City, I am often wrong but I am not as convinced by their recent form as some people are. Even so, I do think they will edge this."
Mikel Arteta has two Arsenal suspension worries for the Champions League clash against Sporting CP
None of the pundits believe Arteta's side have a chance of winning(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
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Roy Keane and Ian Wright - draw
"I don't think it's going to be easy [for Man City]," Arsenal legend Ian Wright said on the Stick to Football podcast while discussing Sunday's game. "I think a draw."
Roy Keane agreed, adding: "We'll go 1-1."