Gary Neville snubs Manchester City as he makes bold prediction on Premier League winner this season
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has snubbed serial winners Manchester City as he predicted Arsenal to win the 2023-24 Premier League.
The Gunners had one of their most dominant league campaigns in recent memory last season. Mikel Arteta's young team led the table for 248 days but imploded in the last few weeks. A run of three wins in their last nine games allowed City to complete a three-peat, finishing five points ahead of the Gunners.
Pep Guardiola's men are widely expected to complete an unprecedented four-peat this season, but Neville reckons the Gunners could play spoilsport. On The Overlap, the eight-time Premier League winner said that the weight of history could bog City down:
"(City are not going to win) just because of the three thing and never winning a four. I am gonna go Arsenal to win the league."
There have only been three instances of a Premier League three-peat, with Manchester United accounting for two of them: 1999-2001 and 2007-09.
The latest three-peat in the competition, as has been mentioned earlier, was recorded by City last season. They won the competition by 12 points in 2020-21 and one point in 2021-22.
Manchester City eventually clinched their fifth top-flight title in six years with three games to spare. They capped off the season with a historic treble, becoming only the second English club - Manchester United (1998-99) being the other - to accomplish the feat.
Pep Guardiola's men beat United 2-1 in the FA Cup final before overcoming Inter Milan by a solitary goal in the UEFA Champions final to win the latter competition for the first time.
When does the 2023-24 Premier League season start?
The 2023-24 Premier League season kicks off on Friday, August 11, with Manchester City commencing their bid for a four-peat at Burnley.
Other fixtures on the opening weekend include Arsenal hosting Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Chelsea taking on Liverpool on Sunday, and Manchester United welcoming Wolverhampton Wanders to Old Trafford a day later.
Pep Guardiola's City have been the standout team in the English top flight in the last six years. So, they will need some stopping as they look to create more history in the competition.