City keeps Gunners under pressure
A R2-million TAB Soccer 10 pool tomorrow is up for grabs, with Manchester City looking a banker bet against Leicester City, while the Nedbank Cup clash between Stellenbosch and Mamelodi Sundowns looks a much more competitive encounter.
By Mark Gleeson
Arsenal’s lead atop the Premier League table was cut to six points after their draw with Liverpool last weekend, and with Manchester City having a game in hand, this weekend’s clashes are of the utmost importance for the main protagonists.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners face another potential banana skin as they take on West Ham United in a London derby on Sunday, one day after Manchester City’s home match against Leicester City.
Given Leicester’s precarious position near the foot of the table, and the recent sacking of manager Brendan Rodgers, the outcome of tomorrow’s clash is expected to be a formality for Pep Guardiola’s side, putting the pressure back onto Arsenal away at the London Stadium on Sunday.
City looked imperious in sweeping aside Bayern Munich on Tuesday in a Champions League encounter and it’s difficult to imagine them going down to Leicester.
It is all shaping up for a dramatic clash on 26 April when Manchester City host Arsenal in what might turn out to be the title decider.
Beneath the two frontrunners on the log, the battle for places in next season’s Champions League continues with Newcastle United and Manchester United in the driving seat, but managerless Tottenham Hotspur only three points behind.
The top four finishers will participate in the next Champions League and Newcastle are only ahead of Manchester United in third by virtue of a better goal difference.
Newcastle, however, could come unstuck at Aston Villa, who are surging up the standings and now find themselves in sixth spot. Unai Emery has turned the club around after they were in relegation danger before Steven Gerrard’s dismissal.
The match is a lunchtime kick-off at Villa Park tomorrow and could set the tone for the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.
Manchester United are away at Nottingham Forest which looks a lot easier assignment. There has been much speculation over an imminent sacking of Forest manager Steve Cooper but instead this week they fired their newly acquired sporting director Filippo Giraldi after six months.
There are no DStv Premiership matches this weekend as the Nedbank Cup takes pride of place and the potential of an upset as Stellenbosch host Mamelodi Sundowns.
Stellenbosch held them in the league last month to end their record-breaking winning streak in the league, although that did not prevent Sundowns from already sealing the title.
They are still in contention for the Nedbank Cup, where they are the holders, plus the African Champions League but with the continental club competition quarter-finals fast approaching, Sundowns might be tempted to rest several key players tomorrow as they travel to Cape Town’s Athlone Stadium to take on the team from the Winelands.