Arsenal and Man City will clash this weekend, but this is not the match that completely determines the race. Behind them will be 5 more matches. If the winning team at Super Sunday this week maintains their form, they will take the championship and vice versa. In an unpredictable season, whether Arsenal or Man City, they may suffer defeat at any time.
On Arsenal's side, it is clear that Mikel Arteta's team is having problems in open ball situations. Therefore, at the Etihad this weekend, it is predictable that The Gunners will have to play deep and wait for opportunities. At that time, fixed penalties will again be something that "Gunners" fans are waiting for.
Remember that the advantage is still in Arsenal's hands, but if they fail, everything can collapse very quickly. In the past, Man City once only rose in the last 18 days of the season but still surpassed the London team. Next week, they will have a rescheduled match with Burnley in the early morning of April 23. If they beat Arsenal and win this match, plus surpassing in goal difference, Man City will return to the top of the table immediately in the context that the final round will take place on May 24.
Man City is the best championship-winning team in the Premier League era with the appearance of Pep Guardiola. Except for the first season without winning the championship, then they only let Liverpool take the lead twice and win all the remaining years. Even, The Citizens set a record of 4 consecutive Premier League titles. In terms of title-winning experience, they are too superior to Arsenal. Therefore, right now, especially after the developments of round 32, the expectations for The Citizens are even greater.
The biggest problem for Arsenal at this time is how they themselves, not other opponents, will play. The performance against Bournemouth is clearly under high expectations, not the playing standard Arsenal set at the beginning and mid-season. In contrast to Man City playing very confidently against Chelsea, Arsenal no longer has any confidence against Bournemouth. When they are no longer themselves, that is scary.
In the middle of the season, Opta's supercomputer once predicted that Arsenal could win the championship with scores ranging from 82 - 84, the lowest in the Premier League era. Currently, the "Gunners" have 70 points and have 6 more matches in hand. If they win absolutely, they will have 88 points, which is not too high compared to the Man City and Liverpool race that went hand in hand in the past.
Looking at Pep Guardiola's celebration in Man City's recent victories, it can be seen that Arsenal's opponent in the remaining leg is not only The Citizens, they also have to overcome Pep Guardiola himself, who always knows how to defeat them throughout the past 3 seasons. Arsenal not only has to overcome themselves, they also have to overcome the best coach of the Premier League era since he set foot here. 22 years of waiting may continue if Arsenal does not win any points at the Etihad this weekend.
Once again, it must be emphasized that Man City is in good form and determined to race to the end in the sprint stage. They have defeated Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool with a total score of 9-0 in the last 3 encounters. Arsenal will have the fulcrum of not losing to Man City in the last 5 encounters in the Premier League and they need a little more luck to create a miracle at the Etihad this weekend.
