Premier League
Arsenal and Manchester City’s remaining fixtures assessed
The 2022/23 Premier League season is rapidly approaching its conclusion, with league leaders Arsenal facing off against current champions Manchester City in a seismic clash on Wednesday evening.
But beyond that fixture, how does the run-in look for each of Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta’s men? We assess each of the remaining 14 games between the two sides, alongside who the likeliest to lift this season’s title is.
Arsenal
Manchester City (A) – 26th April
A win for either side will put them in pole position to go on and win the league, and we reckon Mikel Arteta’s men may be playing catch up after Wednesday’s fixture. William Saliba’s absence is a big blow for an Arsenal defence that has conceded seven goals in their last three games, and we think this formidable City could make a statement at the Etihad.
Prediction – Loss
Chelsea (H) – 2nd May
In most other seasons this will have been billed as a close-fought London derby with Chelsea the probable favourites, but not this year. Frank Lampard’s side are all over the place at the moment and Arsenal can use this fixture to get themselves back to winning ways and build some momentum.
Prediction – Win
Newcastle (A) – 7th May
This is one Arsenal fans will be dreading. The Gunners’ trips to most stadiums in the North more often than not end in disappointment, and last year’s 2-0 defeat at St James’ Park was the final nail in the coffin for their top-four aspirations.
The Magpies will be flying, but we expect Arsenal to put up more of a fight than they did last season.
Prediction – Draw
Brighton (H) – May 14th
Brighton have showcased that they can certainly play with the big dogs after arguably having the better of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United and playing Chelsea off the park at Stamford Bridge not so long ago.
That Wembley defeat may take some of the wind out of the Seagulls’ sails, however, and whilst they remain a brilliant team, Arsenal should just edge this one at the Emirates.
Prediction – Win
Nottingham Forest (A) – 20th May
Nottingham Forest have only lost twice at the City Ground since September and will try and make life as hard as possible for Arsenal in their own efforts to avoid relegation, but the Gunners will have far too much here.
Prediction – Win
Wolves (H) – 28th May
Any fixture on the final day of the season obviously depends hugely on the context it is being played in, but regardless of whether Arsenal are ahead or behind in the title race, this should be another relatively easy victory for Mikel Arteta’s men to close out the season.
Prediction – Win
Final Points Tally: 88
Manchester City
Arsenal (H) – 26th April
City will be firm favourites for this aforementioned Premier League ‘cup final’, and we think Pep Guardiola’s men should have enough momentum built up over the past couple of months to cast aside their title rivals.
Prediction – Win
Fulham (A) – 30th April
Fulham have been a real force this season but seem to be a different animal without the suspended Aleksandar Mitrovic up top, and their domestic season has rather faded away in the last two months. They will be wanting to finish as strongly as possible in their first season back in the Premier League, but will likely have to contend with zero points against City here.
Prediction – Win
West Ham (H) – 3rd May
West Ham have enjoyed an upturn of form at the time of writing and look highly likely to stay in the division after enduring a tough domestic season towards the bottom of the table. Their priority will likely be the Europa Conference League semi-final against AZ Alkmaar the following week after this clash with Pep Guardiola’s men at the Etihad, which City will probably win at a canter.
Prediction – Win
Leeds (H) – 6th May
A quick turnaround for Pep Guardiola’s men as they face Leeds at the Etihad Stadium three days later. Leeds will be fighting for their lives amidst serious relegation fears, but City will likely show no remorse here.
Prediction – Win
Everton (A) – 14th May
This could be a much more interesting fixture than people may assume. City’s trip to Goodison Park will be sandwiched in between their huge Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid, having travelled to Spain in the preceding days. Sean Dyche’s side will be right up for the fight and may cause City one or two problems here, so we’re anticipating a slight slip up from Pep Guardiola’s side.
Prediction – Draw
Chelsea (H) – 21st May
Barring an exceptional upturn of form, Chelsea’s season is all but over, with even qualification for the lesser European competitions extremely unlikely given the form of the likes of Brighton and Aston Villa. Frank Lampard may even prefer his former side to win the title over Chelsea’s London rivals in the back of his mind, so we’re not expecting much of a fight from the Blues here.
Prediction – Win
Brighton (A) – 24th May
This could be the fixture Arsenal fans will be looking at hoping for a City hiccup. As alluded to earlier, Brighton’s improvement under Roberto De Zerbi has been nothing short of exceptional and they have proven their ability to trade blows with the best in the division.
We’re expecting a potential hammer blow from the Seagulls here.
Prediction – Loss
Brentford (A) – 28th May
Similar to their west London rivals Fulham, a trip to the Brentford Community Stadium would have been a much more difficult prospect earlier in the season, but the Bees’ domestic campaign seems to be running out of steam at the time of writing with no wins in six.
Of course, Brentford will give it their all if they are still in contention for an unprecedented European finish, but City seldom disappoint when needing those final three points on the last day of the season.
Prediction – Win
