Arsenal experienced mixed fortunes last week, significantly compromising their chances of winning a first Premier League title since the iconic 2003/04 season.
Despite securing a narrow first-leg advantage in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie against Sporting CP, the Gunners lost a crucial home league clash against Bournemouth on Saturday.
Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty served as a consolation goal for Mikel Arteta’s side, as the Cherries secured a stunning 2-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium, blowing the title race wide open.
That result feeds into the growing debate surrounding their ability to maintain a title challenge under pressure, even though virtually every football prediction for today still backs them for success.
Speaking in the post-match conference, Arteta admitted that ‘we were far from our standards,’ as Arsenal allowed second-placed Manchester City to close the gap to six points.
With the Cityzens also boasting a game in hand ahead of next weekend’s ‘make or break’ showdown at the Etihad Stadium, Arsenal’s first league title in more than two decades no longer feels like a foregone conclusion.
An unfavourable result in Manchester would cast further doubt on the Gunners’ championship ambitions, but they must first focus on completing the job in the Champions League.
Final warm-up
A second consecutive appearance in the Champions League semi-finals is potentially 90 minutes away, as Arsenal head into the return leg poised to finish the job against Sporting.
In addition to their unbeaten record against the Lisbon giants (W3, D3), the Gunners have won ten of their 11 European outings this season (D1), including all five on home turf.
Further confidence stems from the North Londoners’ remarkable record when winning the first leg of a two-legged European knockout tie on the road, progressing from 17 of their 18 previous such contests.
Virtually unplayable in the capital, Arsenal have only lost one of their last 23 European clashes at the Emirates (W17, D5), suggesting their place in the semi-finals should be all but guaranteed.
Sporting’s chances of turning this tie on its head look mightily slim, given that they have won just once in their last eight continental games away from home (D2, L5).
Moreover, the Lions have immensely struggled on English soil, going winless in their last ten away European meetings with Premier League clubs (D5, L5).
However, they’ve shared the spoils with Arsenal inside 90 minutes in both previous visits to North London.
While another draw would suffice to see them through, Arsenal will be eager to claim a win to build momentum and lift spirits ahead of their mouth-watering encounter against Man City.
Title on the line
As highlighted by the Daily Mirror, Pep Guardiola’s side issued a warning to the Gunners with a statement 3-0 victory at Chelsea on Sunday, maintaining their formidable run since last month’s League Cup final.
Man City beat Arsenal 2-0 in the Wembley showpiece and have since won back-to-back domestic matches by an aggregate score of 7-0, hammering no other than Chelsea and Liverpool.
Not only have the Cityzens sliced the gap to Arteta’s table-topping side to six points, but recent results suggest the advantage is tilting in their favour ahead of the run-in.
Recent trips to the Etihad have produced little joy for Arsenal, who last won a Premier League game here in January 2015, highlighting the size of the task awaiting Arteta’s charges next weekend.
Now would be a perfect time for the Gunners to put a stop to their dreadful ten-game winless league streak on Man City’s home ground (D3, L7).
However, Arsenal’s recent away form paints a bleak picture for the visitors, as they’ve scored precisely once in their last three road fixtures (W1, D1, L1).
If Arteta is to break the club’s exhausting drought in the Premier League, Arsenal must find a way to overturn a long-standing poor record at the Etihad.
