Can Manchester City overtake Arsenal to win the Premier League title?

1 week ago 14

Who: Manchester City vs Crystal Palace
What: English Premier League
Where: Etihad Stadium successful Manchester, England, United Kingdom
When: Wednesday, May 13, astatine 8pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT successful beforehand of our unrecorded substance commentary stream.

Second-placed Manchester City kept themselves live successful the Premier League rubric contention with their solid location win implicit Brentford connected Saturday, but league-leading Arsenal’s controversial win astatine West Ham United the pursuing time again pegged City down successful the two-team combat for the trophy.

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Al Jazeera Sport previews City’s delayed Matchday 31 contention against Crystal Palace connected Wednesday and breaks down the Sky Blues’ title hopes arsenic the play draws to a close.

Where does the Premier League rubric contention stand?

  • Frontrunners Arsenal are successful a favourable rubric presumption connected the Premier League ladder; they bask a five-point pb implicit Man City, with the Gunners having 2 matches remaining successful the 38-round season.
  • City person 3 games to go, including their location necktie with Palace.
A screengrab of the 2025-26 Premier League points table.A screengrab of the 2025-26 Premier League points array [Al Jazeera]

What happens if City triumph against Palace?

If City bushed Palace connected Wednesday, they volition trim the spread connected league leaders Arsenal to 2 points. Both teams volition past person 2 games remaining.

A triumph against Palace would support City live successful the rubric hunt, but they would request to bushed Bournemouth successful their penultimate lucifer to proceed the rubric combat to the last circular of matches connected May 24.

What happens if City gully oregon suffer to Palace?

If City draw, they volition extremity up 4 points down Arsenal, and successful the lawsuit of a defeat, the spread would stay astatine 5 points. Dropping immoderate points against Palace would mean City each but bowing retired of the rubric race, adjacent if they inactive person a mathematical accidental to contend heading into the penultimate round.

In specified a scenario, Arsenal tin beryllium crowned Premier League champions arsenic aboriginal arsenic Monday, May 18. A triumph implicit already-relegated Burnley successful Matchday 37 would mean Arsenal would beryllium astatine slightest 7 points clear, with City lone having a maximum of six points disposable successful their past 2 fixtures.

If the Gunners are crowned champions of England, it would people the extremity of the North London club’s 22-year hold for the honour.

How does City’s and Arsenal’s run-in look?

After hosting Palace connected Wednesday, City look sixth-placed Bournemouth connected May 19 earlier facing fifth-placed Aston Villa successful their last crippled of the play connected May 24. Both fixtures volition beryllium challenging arsenic City’s opponents volition beryllium warring to unafraid European shot qualification adjacent season.

Arsenal, connected the different hand, person a overmuch easier run-in to the extremity of the season. They big already-relegated Burnley connected May 18 and play distant to Palace connected the last time of the season. Palace volition apt sanction a weaker broadside for that fixture, with their eyes surely connected their archetypal European final: The Conference League last vs Rayo Vallecano connected May 27.

Is the Premier League trophy Arsenal’s to lose?

Yes.

Arsenal’s melodramatic triumph connected Sunday against their London rivals, West Ham, means they already person 1 manus connected the trophy. Should they triumph their last 2 matches of the campaign, they volition beryllium crowned champions, careless of Man City’s results.

But immoderate slip-up would let their rubric rivals backmost in.

Opta’s supercomputer has fixed the Gunners an 87.2% accidental of winning the rubric from hereon.

Can City and Arsenal extremity the play connected adjacent points?

Yes, it is possible.

If City triumph each 3 remaining matches, and Arsenal gully 1 of their 2 games, some teams volition extremity the play level connected points.

What happens successful this case? Rule C.17 of the Premier League Handbook says the last array placings would beryllium determined by the pursuing criteria, successful this order:

  • goal difference
  • goals scored
  • points won successful head-to-head matches
  • away goals scored successful head-to-head matches
  • a playoff match.

Currently, the extremity quality betwixt Arsenal and City is precise close. Arsenal person a +42 extremity difference, and City’s is +40. It could travel down to goals scored crossed the season: City’s existent tally is 72, Arsenal’s is 68.

Manchester City's Norwegian striker #09 Erling Haaland celebrates connected  the transportation   aft  scoring a hat-trick, aft  the English FA Cup 4th   last  shot   lucifer  betwixt  Manchester City and Liverpool astatine  the Etihad Stadium successful  Manchester, northbound  westbound  England, connected  April 4, 2026.Manchester City’s Norwegian striker #09 Erling Haaland is the starring scorer this play with 26 goals. Can helium usher them to a astonishment rubric win? [AFP File]

If the clubs decorativeness level connected points, extremity difference, and goals scored, City would assertion the rubric connected the adjacent criterion – points won successful head-to-head matches – due to the fact that they person won 4 points against Arsenal this season, acknowledgment to a triumph and a draw.

The likelihood of specified a script are precise low, fixed City are lagging successful the rubric race, but if this were to happen, it would spell down arsenic the closest rubric contention ever. The erstwhile closest contention was successful 2011-12 erstwhile City edged their rivals, Manchester United, connected extremity quality pursuing Sergio Aguero’s stoppage-time victor against Queens Park Rangers connected the last day.

City inactive successful the hunt for home double

While City’s likelihood of winning the league rubric are precise slim, they stay connected people to implicit a home double. City, who won the League Cup successful March, look Chelsea successful the FA Cup last connected Saturday. They are bidding for their eighth FA Cup, having past lifted the trophy successful 2023.

Manager Pep Guardiola has backed striker Omar Marmoush, who scored disconnected the seat successful the past game, to person a cardinal relation successful the closing stages of the English season.

“We’ve talked galore times,” said Guardiola. “I cognize it’s not casual for them [fringe players], but I’m beauteous definite successful the adjacent games they’re going to play.

“I privation to rotate the squad due to the fact that different we cannot get successful the last oregon Bournemouth a small spot (fresh).

“Especially Omar. It’s not casual due to the fact that usually you conscionable privation 1 striker. He’s a due striker but Erling (Haaland) is there.

“Erling is truthful important for us, but the publication of Omar – the magnitude of goals for the minutes played – is truthful high.”

‘I emotion it’ – Pep Guardiola relishes rubric run-in

Guardiola said helium is “loving” the Premier League run-in, contempt his ⁠side nary longer controlling ⁠their ain destiny successful the rubric race.

“It’s ⁠not successful our hands now,” Guardiola said. “They person to driblet points. The lone happening we tin bash is triumph again and spot what happens.”

Guardiola said triumph oregon lose, the thrilling contention to the decorativeness has been thoroughly enjoyable.

Arsenal manager   Mikel Arteta, left, and City manager   Pep Guardiola embraceArsenal manager Mikel Arteta, left, and City manager Pep Guardiola speech a hug earlier a crippled [File: Carl Recine/Reuters]

He pointed to his team’s consistency, arsenic their unbeaten tally successful the ‌league stretches backmost to mid-January. With different large last inactive to come, City person had plentifulness to observe this season, careless of however the Premier League finishes.

“I emotion it. I emotion to beryllium present again, we’ll decorativeness 2nd again successful this season, minimum,” Guardiola said. “Last season, we were warring to suffice for the Champions League, was truthful ⁠difficult.

“I emotion excessively Carabao (League Cup) successful our pocket. We play an FA ⁠Cup last successful Wembley, it is the astir beauteous crippled of the season.”

What happened the past clip City played Palace?

In their reverse fixture astatine Selhurst Park successful December, City won 2-0, acknowledgment to 2 goals from Haaland, including a penalty, and different by Phil Foden.

Head-to-head

Palace and City person faced each different successful 75 games successful each competitions since 1921.

City person won 40 of those encounters, portion Palace won 18. A full of 17 matches ended successful a draw.

Man City squad news

Defenders Josko Gvardiol and Abdukodir Khusanov, on with antiaircraft midfielder Rodri, are retired injured.

Predicted Man City lineup

Gianluigi Donnarumma (goalkeeper); Matheus Nunes, Marc Guehi, Nathan Ake, Nico O’Reilly; Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders; Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland

Palace squad news

Edward Nketiah, Cheick Oumar Doucoure, Evann Guessand and Borna Sosa are sidelined with injuries.

Predicted Palace lineup

Dean Henderson (goalkeeper); Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Jaydee Canvot; Daniel Munoz, Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Tyrick Mitchell; Brennan Johnson, Ismaila Sarr; Jorgen Strand Larsen

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