Gunners remain under pressure
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By Mark Gleeson
Manchester City are fancied to win at out-of-form Crystal Palace tomorrow and again heap pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal, who play their next league game on Sunday.
It was the case last weekend, too, as Pep Guardiola’s team kicked off the action with a Saturday midday match against Newcastle United and had secured success before Arsenal took to the field at home to Bournemouth.
City’s victory resulted in the gap between the two clubs being reduced to two points and Arsenal looked to be feeling the heat as they conceded within seconds to Bournemouth and had to wait until the last seconds of the game to dig themselves out of a hole, securing a dramatic win and re-establish their five-point advantage.
Arsenal are away at Fulham on Sunday in another difficult match which will test their resolve to keep up the gap between themselves and Manchester City.
The Gunners need to stay at least four points clear given they have an away game at Man City next month in the league having already lost twice to them in recent months – once in the league and in the FA Cup.
Fulham will present Mikel Arteta’s Gunners with a tough task indeed, particularly at Craven Cottage. Promoted last season, they have lost only three times at home this season – early in the campaign to Newcastle United and since to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Fulham manager Marco Silva could yet turn this into a very special season for his squad, with European qualification a real possibility as well as an elusive piece of silverware. Fulham have an FA Cup quarter-final date with Manchester United thanks to a 2-0 win over Leeds United in midweek.
Manchester United are expected to bounce back after their mauling at Anfield, taking out their frustration on Southampton, whose chances of avoiding relegation are fast receding. Erik ten Hag’s side will want to also consolidate their third-place on the table, leaving a scrap below them for the other Champions League berth.
Tottenham, with coach Antonio Conte back after his gallbladder surgery, are at home to Nottingham Forest and should pick up points. So should Liverpool, away at relegation-threatened Bournemouth. The Reds have surged back into Champions League contention.
Newcastle United dropped down to sixth after a third successive defeat. They are at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, needing to get themselves back into a winning mode.