Premier League title race: Do Arsenal or Man City have the easier run-in? | OneFootball

The Premier League is building towards another thrilling run-in, as Arsenal and Manchester City face off in the title race.

After three second-place finishes in a row, Arsenal are bidding to finally end their 22-year wait for a league title under Mikel Arteta.

But they are once again facing competition from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who denied them in both 2023 and 2024.

Arsenal

Remaining fixtures:

Toughest game? It’s obviously the trip to Manchester City next week, with just five more league games to follow after that. Arsenal have not won at the Etihad since January 2015 and their title challenge went up in smoke there in a 4-1 thrashing in April 2023, before arguably playing too safe in a 0-0 draw in March 2024. City’s 2-0 victory in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley adds another fascinating layer to what is shaping up to be a title battle for the ages.

Final straight? On paper, it’s still looking good for Arsenal. In May, they will play Fulham and Burnley at home. Mid-table Fulham and Crystal Palace will likely be in ‘nothing to play for’ territory while 19th-placed Burnley could well be down by the penultimate weekend. West Ham, though, will be fighting for their lives. Still, the Gunners might not have to play a top-half team in May.

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Arsenal’s biggest rivals for the Premier League title once again stand as Pep Guardiola’s side (Getty)

Played: 31 | Points: 64 | GD: +35

Toughest game? Pep Guardiola’s side have hit their purple patch to close the gap on Arsenal to six points, with that extra game in hand. As such, the big obstacle in their way has to be to visit of the Gunners next weekend. Win that and the title is in their hands; lose it and Arsenal are right back in the driving seat.

Final straight? On paper, much tougher than Arsenal’s. Brentford and Bournemouth could be in the mix for European qualification over the final weeks of the season and City have to play them both in their final three games. Then, they host Aston Villa on the final weekend of the season. Will Unai Emery’s side have Champions League qualification wrapped up by then, or will they face a late fight to get into the top-five? City could do with hoping Villa get to the Europa League final that midweek.

This has been a run-in of two halves, with everything building up to the meeting between Manchester City and Arsenal in mid-April, and then everything that follows. But Arsenal’s fixtures before and then after going to the Etihad look more favourable than City’s, particularly their final stretch.