Former England striker Gary Lineker has warned Arsenal that their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur could have a huge say in the Premier League title race this season.
Tottenham Hotspur could be cast as Premier League kingmakers this season, as Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City are all vying for the crown.
The Gunners are currently in pole position in the Premier League, but Liverpool and Manchester City are both breathing down the north London club’s neck. Arsenal have 64 points on the board, as do Liverpool, who are only in second place by virtue of having an inferior goal difference. Meanwhile, reigning champions Manchester City have 63 points under their belt.
All three clubs have ten Premier League matches left to go this season, and will have some tricky fixtures to negotiate. The trio will all have to face both Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, who are currently involved in the scrap for a top four spot.
Mikel Arteta‘s side will host Unai Emery’s Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on April 13th, before travelling to face Spurs in what will be a fierce north London derby on April 27th. Meetings between Arsenal and Spurs are always feisty, heated affairs, due to the local rivalry between the two clubs. Given the potential ramifications of this match in both the title race and the fight for fourth place, though, this encounter will be especially intense.
The biggest obstacles Arsenal must overcome in Premier League run-in
Arsenal will also have to take on Manchester United at Old Trafford and will have to overcome Wolves and Brighton in the run-in. Arteta has already revealed his points target for the season, and it leaves very little margin for error. Whoever is to win the title this season will have to be near-perfect for the rest of the campaign.
However, the Gunners should have total belief that they have what it takes to get over the line. They are in fine form at both ends of the pitch. The Arsenal defence is in a class of its own, whilst they have scored more goals than any other side in the division.
Whilst the data suggests that both Manchester City and Liverpool stand a better chance of being crowned champions than Arsenal, the Gunners’ odds are improving.
Gary Lineker has now given his view on which fixtures will truly define the run-in this season. Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, he said, “Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur will play a big part in the title race because all three sides play both Spurs and Villa…The run-ins are remarkably similar…I really do think that most of the games will be won by all three sides, all the way, and can you imagine if on the last day of the season all three teams have got level points.”
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
