Arsenal handed major advantage over Man City in Premier League title race | Football | Sport
City, meanwhile, will renew hostilities with Real Madrid in the round of 16 before potentially facing Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. It has thrown up an interesting scenario which could benefit Arsenal‘s hopes of securing Premier League glory at the end of the season.
The quarter-finals will take place on April 7-8 and April 14-15, with the second-leg matches falling just days before Arsenal and City go head-to-head in a potential title decider.
City facing Bayern immediately before hosting the Gunners would represent a brutal week for Pep Guardiola‘s side, with key players likely to be rested in either fixture.
Arsenal, meanwhile, would face a comparatively easier fixture against Bodo/Glimt or Sporting. Given their status as arguably the best team in Europe at the moment, they may well already be home and hosed before the second leg is played.
If that proves to be the case, Mikel Arteta would be able to rest his big-name stars in the return leg before having them back for the City game feeling refreshed.
It remains to be seen how the Premier League title race will play out, with Arsenal still holding an advantage over City as things stand.
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They remain five points clear at the summit ahead of this weekend’s fixtures, although they have drawn two of their last five games.
Any failure to win against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon could see City move to within two points of the north Londoners, provided they beat Leeds United on Saturday.
Gary Neville believes that while City are a dangerous team with prior experience of delivering under pressure, the title remains Arsenal’s to lose.
Speaking weeks ago, he said: “I think they [Arsenal] are a better team than City and proved that in the first few months. but City are dangerous.
“They’ve got that manager who is a prolific winner, a striker who is absolutely world class, the player in the league that’s absolutely standout, a dream, what a player! They’ve got really dangerous characteristics, talent, potential to cause upsets.
“I still think it is Arsenal’s to lose. Arsenal have got to get themselves mentally right for the next four or five months, such a huge moment for the club, and I still think they’ll do it.
