"4 points" - Jamie Carragher explains what Arsenal must do to win the Premier League title ahead of Manchester City
Prominent pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes Arsenal must take four points from two matches against Manchester City if they are to win the Premier League title.
The Gunners have raced to the summit of the English top-flight after losing just one of their first 17 matches. They have collected 44 points and are five clear of second-placed City, who they are yet to face in the league this season.
The first of the two teams' much-anticipated clashes will take place next month when Mikel Arteta's side welcome the Citizens to the Emirates on February 15. They will meet again in Matchweek 33 on April 26 at the Etihad Stadium.
Carragher believes Arsenal simply need to get a win and a draw in those two matches if they are to beat Manchester City to the Premier League title. He said on Sky Sports Premier League (as quoted by HITC):
“I think a lot of it will come down to the two games against Manchester City. If Arsenal want to win the title they’ll have to take four points off City, I would expect, and I think that would put them in a great position.”
The Gunners could have potentially opened up a 10-point gap over Pep Guardiola's team during the recent round of fixtures. However, the league leaders could only draw 0-0 with Newcastle United at home. Meanwhile, City beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to narrow down the gap at the top to five points.
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What does the fixture list look like for Arsenal and Manchester City going forward?
While the Premier League title race has heated up in recent weeks, both Arsenal and Manchester City will briefly shift their focus to other competitions.
The two teams will be in action in the third round of the FA Cup this weekend. City will host Chelsea for their third meeting of the campaign on 8 January, while the Gunners will travel to Oxford United the following night.
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Pep Guardiola's side will then compete in an EFL Cup quarterfinal against Southampton on 11 January. They will return to league action three days later with a visit to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.
Mikel Arteta's troops, meanwhile, will compete in a crunch North London Derby away from home against Tottenham Hotspur on 15 January. Those two matches could play a decisive role in the title race.
Arsenal will then host United, travel to Everton, and welcome Brentford to the Emirates in the league to kick off February before their clash with Manchester City. The Cityzens, meanwhile, will play Tottenham home and away, either side of a clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad in the same period.