The Premier League title race heats up this weekend as Manchester City looks to capitalise on any potential slip-up by leaders Arsenal.
The Cityzens will be looking to tighten the noose on the Premier League leaders when they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening.
Pep Guardiola’s side comfortably dispatched relegation-battling Nottingham Forest in their last outing, extending their winning streak to three games across all competitions.
Only one point separates the treble winners from Arsenal at the Premier League summit, and they’ll be hoping the Gunners drop points in their early kick-off contest against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
The run-in specialists head into the game against Wolves as heavy favourites. They’re expected to steamroll to victory in a game you can watch live when you buy Man City tickets at Seatsnet.com.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s title aspirations have all but evaporated. Held to a frustrating 2-2 draw by West Ham last weekend, the Reds now find themselves five points adrift of Arsenal with only three games remaining.
While finishing the season strong remains a priority, Jurgen Klopp’s final act at Anfield has now been reduced from a title challenge to potentially securing a positive final note.
Liverpool’s next hurdle comes in the form of a wounded Tottenham Hotspur side, desperately clinging to their slim hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Both sides have been in poor form recently, but we’re expecting a spectacle when they lock horns at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Man City vs Wolves
City take on Wolves on Saturday, fueled by a desire for both victory and vengeance after they suffered a 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture at Molineux Stadium nearly eight months ago.
City head into the clash on the back of consecutive wins, including a commanding 4-0 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion and a 2-0 triumph over Forest.
Fresh off celebrating Guardiola’s 300th Premier League match with a triumph, the Cityzens are brimming with confidence.
Erling Braut Haaland’s return from injury last weekend was a welcome sight for City fans.
The Norwegian striker wasted no time making his mark, netting a crucial second-half goal to wrap up the points against Forest after Josko Gvardiol opened the scoring with a header.
City could find themselves four points adrift of Arsenal at the summit if the Gunners beat Bournemouth in their early kick-off contest.
However, Guardiola’s side could return the gap to a solitary point if they match Arsenal’s result against Wolves.
City will be buoyed by their phenomenal home form. They are currently unbeaten in a staggering 42 games at the Etihad across all competitions, equaling a club record set over a century ago.
They will break the record outrightly if they avoid defeat against Wolves this weekend.
Historically, the Etihad has been a graveyard for Wolves. City has emerged victorious in seven of their last eight home league meetings against the Wanderers, bagging 19 goals in that run.
Guardiola and his players will be confident of extending this dominance, especially on the back of a 31-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Relief washed over Molineux last weekend as Wolves finally ended their seven-match winless run with a narrow 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Luton Town, which kept their top-half hopes alive.
Hwang Hee-chan finally broke his league goal drought, his first since December, to give Wolves the lead before Toti Gomes doubled their advantage five minutes into the second half.
A late goal from Carlton Morris for Luton sent shivers down the spines of the home crowd, but Wolves held on to claim all three points.
Wolves sit 11th in the Premier League table, but their hopes of sneaking into the European places are slim at best as they trail seventh-placed Newcastle United by seven points with just three games left.
Gary O’Neil’s side started the year with a five-match unbeaten streak away from home, but they’ve since failed to win any of their last four games on the road.
The Old Gold have won just two of their last 20 Premier League away fixtures against top two teams (L18), but one of those victories came against City back in 2019.
They’re one of only three teams to get the better of the defending champions this season, so there is cause for slight optimism that they can pull off another major upset this weekend.
Liverpool vs Tottenham
Anfield braces itself for a high-stakes clash this weekend, with both Liverpool and Tottenham facing potentially season-defining encounters.
Klopp is poised to depart the Anfield dugout with an EFL Cup win in his back pocket, but his farewell season has taken a dramatic turn in the dying embers.
The previous promise of a historic quadruple has evaporated, leaving Liverpool clinging to a shred of hope in the Premier League title race.
A string of poor results has left Liverpool teetering on the edge after winning just one of their previous five Premier League games (D2, L2), taking just one point from the last six on offer.
A 2-2 draw with West Ham, compounded by a public spat between Klopp and Mohamed Salah, served as a replica of their recent woes.
Sitting third in the Premier League table, five points adrift of Arsenal, Sunday’s contest is a must-win for Liverpool if they want to keep their faint hopes alive.
As a further incentive, Liverpool are at risk of losing three consecutive games at Anfield for the first time since 2021 after falling to defeats against Atalanta and Crystal Palace.
They must exploit Tottenham’s frailties on Sunday, with the north Londoners reeling from a tough run of three consecutive defeats.
Tottenham’s quest for a Champions League return hit another significant roadblock on Thursday night as they fell 2-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, leaving them with a mountain to climb in the remaining weeks of the season.
Spurs’ Achilles heel reared its ugly head once more as two set-piece goals condemned them to defeat.
First, Trevoh Chalobah rose unmarked to head home Conor Gallagher’s free-kick before Nicolas Jackson nodded in the rebound after Cole Palmer’s dangerous dead-ball strike rattled the crossbar.
These latest concessions add to a worrying trend. Tottenham have now conceded 22 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season, the third-worst record in the league.
Sitting seven points behind Aston Villa with just one game in hand, another defeat for Spurs will vanquish their Champions League hopes if Unai Emery’s side overcome Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
While manager Ange Postecoglou has downplayed the importance of a top-four finish in his debut Premier League campaign, fans are likely to feel differently if Spurs miss out on Champions League football.
