The Premier League title race between Arsenal and Manchester City looks like it is going to go down to the wire.
The Gunners moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League table following their win against Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby.
However, Manchester City do have a game in hand, which effectively means the gap is just two points. A win at the Etihad when the two sides meet will even push Pep Guardiola’s side above Arsenal, assuming both sides win all their games until that point.
But which team has the easier run-in? Opta claim that it’s Arsenal.
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Arsenal and Manchester City’s remaining Premier League fixtures explored
Arsenal have 10 games left in the Premier League this season, while Manchester City have 11.
The Gunners play six of those 10 fixtures at the Emirates Stadium, which is ideal, while Guardiola’s men play just five of their remaining 11 games at the Etihad.
Arsenal’s six home games are against Chelsea, Everton, Bournemouth, Newcastle United, Fulham and then Burnley in the penultimate fixture of the season.
Their away clashes are against Brighton, Manchester City, West Ham United and Crystal Palace.
City, on the other hand, play Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Brentford and Aston Villa at home, while their away games are against Leeds United, West Ham, Chelsea, Burnley, Everton and Bournemouth.
Opta, as per The Athletic, have analysed the difficulty of both Arsenal and Manchester City’s remaining fixtures, and they have concluded that the Gunners have the easier run-in, but only just.
Arsenal have a mean difficulty of 92.4 per cent, which makes them the team with the eighth-easiest end to the season.
City are two places below the North Londoners, with a mean difficulty of 92.5 per cent.
All signs point towards the game at the Etihad Stadium being the decider in the title race this season, which makes it the biggest fixture of the campaign.
Fill the blanks: There will be __ points between Arsenal and Man City at the Etihad.
Arsenal have an advantage over Manchester City in the Premier League title race
Jamie Carragher recently claimed that Manchester City’s fixtures are more favourable than Arsenal’s in the title race, but Opta say he is wrong.
Guardiola’s men have it slightly tougher, not just because of the quality of the opposition they face, but also because of the travelling involved.
From now until the end of the season, Mikel Arteta’s men leave London on just two occasions for a league game. First to Brighton and Hove Albion and next to Manchester City.
Interestingly, those are the Gunners’ next two away games, which means their last five games of this season will all be in London.
Arteta became the second-most successful manager in London derby history recently, so that is a big advantage in the title race.
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