City need a favour from Reds

City need a favour from Reds

With TAB soccer pools boosted by more than R1,2-million this weekend, and the pressure mounting on the top clubs in the Premier League to secure a Champions League spot next season, this weekend is sure to produce some brilliant on-field action and huge payouts for bettors.

By Mark Gleeson

The Premier League title race is tilting ever more in Arsenal’s favour as the Gunners prove sceptics wrong by keeping their nose ahead in the chase for the championship.

No club has failed to win the Premier League after enjoying a lead of four or more points at the beginning of April. Manchester United threw away a three-point lead in the 1997-98 season and Arsenal a two-point advantage in 2003.

This time, the Gunners have it within their own grasp, and with matches now beginning to run out.

But Manchester City, who have won six of their last seven league games since their last loss at Tottenham, continue to threaten. They trail by eight points going into the weekend fixtures but have a game in hand.

Pep Guardiola’s side are favourites to win at bottom-placed Southampton on Saturday and keep up the pressure, although it was at St Mary’s in early January that the Saints bundled City out of the League Cup quarter-finals.

Arsenal still have a number of tough hurdles to overcome, not least a trip to City at the end of this month, but if they get points away at Liverpool on Sunday then they must feel they will be able to hold off City.

No trip to Anfield is easy, even if the Reds have been handed some humiliations of late, so it must be viewed as a key game in the run to the title.

Last season, Liverpool were unbeaten in four games against Arsenal, but this season they suffered a 2-3 loss in London earlier in this campaign.

Behind the battle for supremacy between Arsenal and Manchester City, is the tussle for the other two Champions League spots next season. Chasing third and fourth place are Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur, with Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool not out of the equation either.

Of the six clubs, Manchester United are fancied to win over relegation-haunted Everton, but for the others there are tough games to navigate.

The match between Spurs - with a caretaker coach since the firing of Antonio Conte - against Brighton offers the chance of an upset while Brentford have the ability to beat Newcastle.

Villa, however, should beat Nottingham Forest to strengthen their chances of an unlikely top four finish, having made incredible progress since Unai Emery took over from Steven Gerrard as manager.