MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Over the weekend, one bookmaker said Arsenal’s win had already paid for itself. premier league This season.
However, Manchester City are not ready to admit defeat just yet.
Sunday’s Dramatic 2-1 victory over Liverpool The gap between the top two teams has been reduced to 6 points. If second-placed City beat Fulham at home on Wednesday, they would be three points behind Arsenal, who travel to in-form Brentford the following day.
Of course, Arsenal will lose the title with 13 matches remaining, but it is still too early to declare Mikel Arteta’s team champions as the top two sides will still face each other at City’s Etihad Stadium.
City manager Josep Guardiola said: “We have them at home, but of course we have to win.” “From my experience, 13 games in the Premier League is a very long time.
“All we can do is be brave and strangle Arsenal. If they slip up or score something, we take advantage of it.”
City are doing well in terms of chasing Arsenal’s lead. In back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024, Guardiola’s side took back Arsenal and won the title.
But this City team is different. The team that dominated English football during the 10 years under Guardiola has been inconsistent, losing five league games this season alone.
Arsenal has also changed. Arteta has assembled perhaps the strongest team in the league, with depth in every position.
on saturday he sent $85 million striker Victor Gokeres The Sweden international scored two goals after coming on as a substitute in the second half against Sunderland. with a 3-0 win.
After this victory, the Irish-based oddsmaker stated that Arsenal had been rewarded.
But Arteta disagrees with the idea that the title will be his after three successive runners-up finishes, saying: “We still have to win a lot of games to achieve what we want.”
major matches
Tottenham host Newcastle on Tuesday, with both teams looking to turn things around. Spurs are without a win in the league in 2026 and are currently just six points clear of the relegation zone. Newcastle have lost their last three league games and have won just one of their eight competitive games.
West Ham have won three of their last four games, boosting their hopes of staying in the league. host Manchester United in good form on tuesday.
Featured players
Crisencio Somerville will be looking to keep West Ham alive with five goals in as many games. Brian Mbeumo has scored three goals in four games for United since returning from the African Cup of Nations.
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Liverpool will be without Dominik Szoboszlai, who was sent off late in the game against Man City, while Tottenham’s Cristian Romero also received a red card against Man United. Spurs’ injury problems worsened when Destiny Udogie was forced off in the same game. Arsenal were without Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard due to injury in the game against Sunderland.
off the field
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is under increasing pressure as his team’s form continues to deteriorate. The only victory in 2026 is champions league. Spurs have advanced to the round of 16 in Europe’s top club soccer competition, but their domestic performance is a cause for concern.
Frank is aiming for his first league win since Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 1-0 on December 28.
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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