One of the decade's biggest games - will Etihad showdown decide title?

Mikel Arteta started his coaching vocation arsenic Pep Guardiola's adjunct astatine Manchester City

Manchester City and Arsenal spell caput to caput successful a Premier League rubric showdown connected Wednesday - and 1 of the biggest games successful the English apical formation for a decade.

Both sides cognize a triumph astatine Etihad Stadium volition spot them instrumentality power of the rubric contention with lone a period until the decorativeness line.

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, who were 8 points wide astatine the commencement of the month, past won the rubric successful 2003-04.

Chasing a 5th Premier League rubric successful six years, City are besides successful contention for a Treble, including the FA Cup and Champions League.

"Arsenal person had a blip and I fishy their players volition person doubts," said 1994-95 Premier League victor Chris Sutton connected BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Manchester City volition person that strut, they've been determination and done it, truthful I deliberation they'll triumph the crippled comfortably."

BBC Sport takes a person look astatine conscionable however large this crippled is.

Is this a rubric decider?

Both managers accidental this crippled volition not determine the Premier League rubric race - but the information suggests they whitethorn beryllium wrong.

This volition beryllium the ninth clip successful Premier League past that the apical 2 person met aft 33 oregon much games (for the league leaders) with 5 points oregon less betwixt them.

Only erstwhile did a squad suffer that crippled and triumph the rubric - erstwhile Chelsea bushed Manchester United 2-1 successful 2008, but Sir Alex Ferguson's broadside finished archetypal by 2 points.

The past clip determination was a rubric showdown similar this, backmost successful 2014, neither squad won the league. Chelsea bushed leaders Liverpool 2-0 astatine Anfield, but City - who had games successful manus - were crowned champions connected the last day.

Data analysts Nielsen Gracenote presently complaint City arsenic having a 79% accidental of winning the title. An Arsenal victory, though, would spot them go the favourites with a 55% chance, portion that would driblet to 11% with a City success.

"Arsenal person to not get beaten, but I deliberation they volition beryllium beaten," said Sutton connected the Monday Night Club arsenic helium predicted a 3-1 triumph for City.

"I ever believed Arsenal would person to spell to Manchester City and win, to triumph the league," added Micah Richards, who was portion of the City broadside that won the rubric connected the last time successful 2012.

If Arsenal win, they would inactive request victories successful their last 5 games to beryllium definite of the title. If City triumph, they would request to triumph six of their past 7 matches to go champions for a 3rd successive season.

"It is going to beryllium a pugnacious nighttime and challenge, but the accidental is unthinkable for us," said Arteta, who was Guardiola's adjunct astatine City from 2016 to 2019.

"We knew from the opening - you privation to triumph a Premier League, you person to spell to Spurs and you person to bushed them, you person to spell to Chelsea and you person to bushed them.

"This is what we person been doing, that is wherefore we are present and present we person to spell to City and we person to bushed them. You privation to beryllium champion, you person to triumph these matches, it is arsenic elemental arsenic that."

Are Arsenal going to fto a large pb slip?

Arsenal spent overmuch of 2023 arsenic Gracenote's rubric favourites until their caller blip

Arsenal were 8 points supra City - albeit having played a crippled much - coming into April, but they person drawn their past 3 games.

It volition nary longer beryllium successful their hands if they suffer astatine Etihad Stadium - and Arsenal are outsiders to triumph this crippled with bookmakers astatine 5-1.

Their 21% accidental of winning the title, according to Gracenote, is their lowest since aboriginal October.

Ex-Gunners striker Kevin Campbell said connected the Football News Show: "There has been a wobble, determination has been a creak and determination has been a shake, but they haven't broken. Arsenal person a large chance. They've got the champion distant grounds truthful what should they fear?"

Richards added: "There were ever going to beryllium bumps on the roadworthy so, for Arsenal fans, I don't deliberation anything's changed. It's conscionable going to the Etihad close present is simply a hard task.

"The unit is disconnected Arsenal, for sure, due to the fact that everyone's expecting Man City to triumph that game."

If the Gunners bash miss retired connected the championship, they volition beryllium portion of a tiny radical to suffer it from specified a commanding position.

Only Manchester United (1998 and 2012) and Arsenal (2003) person ever been 8 points wide aft 28 games oregon much and not finished top. Incidentally, each 3 teams went connected to triumph the league the pursuing year.

The biggest pb ever blown is Newcastle's 12 successful 1995-96.

Only 1 squad person ever had 69 points with 10 games remaining - arsenic Arsenal did - and failed to triumph the title. That was Liverpool successful 2018-19, erstwhile they finished connected 97 points, 1 down City.

One potential, and huge, origin down Arsenal's caller blip has been the nonaccomplishment of France defender William Saliba to a backmost injury. He has missed the past 5 games aft starting the archetypal 27.

They person conceded doubly arsenic galore goals per crippled without him (1.8 v 0.9) and won 40% of games without him, compared to 77.8% erstwhile helium has played.

"The happening that was ever going to clasp Arsenal backmost was their squad," said the New York Times' Rory Smith connected BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Without Saliba, they don't look anyplace adjacent arsenic solid, they don't person that control."

Can relentless City decorativeness successful style?

Erling Haaland is the archetypal Premier League subordinate to nett 48 goals successful each competitons successful a season

Unfortunately for Arsenal, their rivals this play person been Manchester City - who look to crook into a instrumentality astatine this signifier of the season.

City person won 12 and drawn 1 of their past 13 games successful each competitions. They are 16 games unbeaten too.

Since Guardiola took implicit successful 2016, City person taken betwixt 21 and 30 points successful their last 10 games of a Premier League play - an mean of 2.44 points per crippled (including this play truthful far).

"It's truly bully to beryllium here," Guardiola said. "After the archetypal circular of the Premier League Arsenal did, it was hard to deliberation we would beryllium present successful that moment.

"It's a really, truly important crippled due to the fact that we tin get points and our biggest hostile this play cannot."

Also successful Arsenal's mode is the astir prolific goalscorer the Premier League has ever seen - Erling Haaland.

The 22-year-old, who joined City from Borussia Dortmund past summer, has scored 32 goals successful 28 Premier League games this play - netting an mean of 1.29 goals each 90 minutes.

Haaland has already equalled Mohamed Salah's grounds for goals successful a 38-game play - with 8 games left. In each competitions helium lone needs 2 much to scope 50.

City, who look Real Madrid successful the Champions League semi-finals and Manchester United successful the FA Cup final, are lone 12 wins successful each competitions distant from a uncommon Treble.

Manchester United are the lone English squad to execute it, backmost successful 1998-99, portion Celtic, Ajax, PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich person besides tasted akin success.

Most improbable rubric triumph since Leicester?

Arsenal are bidding for a archetypal rubric since going unbeaten successful the 2003-04 Premier League play nether Arsene Wenger.

Arteta played for the nine from 2011 to 2016 and has managed them since 2019 - and won 3 FA Cups with them.

The Gunners were lone sixth favourites to triumph the rubric astatine the commencement of the play astatine likelihood of 50-1, down Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United.

That would beryllium the longest likelihood by acold of immoderate champion since Leicester, famously 5000-1, lifted the rubric successful 2015-16.

City person been favourites to triumph the league each twelvemonth since past and it volition beryllium 5 successful six years if they win this clip - a tally not seen since Manchester United astir the crook of the century.