Arsene Wenger still believes Arsenal will win the league, despite the weekend’s narrow defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
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Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Premier League title were dealt a significant blow when Manchester City edged to a 2-1 victory over Mikel Arteta’s side at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, leaving both teams with their fate only partly in their own hands.
Even if Arsenal win all of their remaining games, Manchester City could do the same and win the league on goal difference. Of course, the same is true in reverse.
But former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes there will still be slip-ups in the run-in, and that his old team will ultimately come out on top.
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“I believe that Arsenal will win the league,” Wenger said on Monday night, in quotes reported by Henry Winter.
“I deeply believe. It looks, to me, like common-sense. I like Eze, Odegaard, Havertz and Madueke attacking (intent at the Etihad). Manchester City will not make the perfect run-in.”
Wenger was speaking to Kelly Cates at a charity fundraiser for Twinning Project, David Dein’s charity that twins prisons with their local professional clubs. Coaches from those clubs go into prisons and run projects to tackle re-offending.
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Arsenal may not be top of the league by the time the team next take to the pitch, as City play one of their easier remaining fixtures against Burnley on Wednesday night.
If City win, by any scoreline, they’d overtake Arsenal either on goals scored or (more likely) goal difference.
But the Gunners will then have the chance to put the pressure back on City, as they’ll play Newcastle United and Fulham at home before City’s next game away to Everton on May 4th.
So even if City win on Wednesday, Arsenal could put six points between themselves and their rivals before a tricky game for Pep Guardiola’s side away in Liverpool. That has to be the target if they want to make Wenger’s prediction come true.
