With five games to go, Manchester City and Arsenal dey separated only on goals scored for top of Premier League table. Na new league now, so Mikel Arteta talk, as im side don dey top for 209 days until Wednesday.
Manchester City 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday boost their hopes, and 1-0 victory at Burnley on Wednesday send them top. Who go win title now? BBC Sport don get pundits, reporters and fans to predict score for each club five remaining games, to tell us who go be champions.
Advantage Man City? Queen bee Guardiola lead them to summit. BBC Sport Manchester City reporter Shamoon Hafez talk say handbrake about to come off. With title on line, both teams go dey free-scoring for final five games. Dem no go get flawless records, there go be draw apiece and results go dictate both teams end up with same goal difference of +46.
Although Manchester City get tougher run-in than Arsenal on paper, their knowhow for terms of getting job done during tight race go prove crucial. We don see Agueroooo goal, now we dey go see Semenyoooo do similar. Gunners go dey lead against Crystal Palace on final day of season with one hand touching Premier League trophy on goal difference. But City January signing go score for injury time against Aston Villa to level metrics and hand Pep Guardiola side title by virtue of scoring more goals than Arsenal, sparking wild celebrations at Etihad Stadium.
BBC Sport Arsenal reporter Alex Howell talk say even though Arsenal don lose momentum for title race and don win just one of their past six games for all competitions, im still see dem be champions at end of season. Because Manchester City get tougher run of games and I believe that Pep Guardiola side go drop points too.
Chris Sutton, wey finish on winning side of one of tightest title run-ins when Blackburn edge Manchester United on final day for 1995, now predict outcome of all 380 Premier League games for BBC Sport. For reverse fixtures, Arsenal beat all five of teams dem still get to play this season, by aggregate score of 8-1. I think dem go beat all five of dem again, im talk.
Of teams City get to play, dem lose away at Aston Villa for October but beat everyone else. But I think City games now tougher, because dem get to play Everton and Bournemouth away. I think dem go drop points for one of those games and e more likely to be at Everton.
For Arsenal, I dey expect dem to beat Newcastle on Saturday. Newcastle don give dem good game for past but dem dey struggle at moment and with wetin dey at stake, Arsenal should get job done. Tricky game for dem na West Ham away. E come few days after dem play second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid, wey make am even trickier, but I still think dem go edge am.
BBC fan writers Laura Kirk-Francis and Emily Brobyn don also get go at predicting champions. Arsenal fan Kirk-Francis talk say her hope for Arsenal first league title for 22 years rest on David Moyes. I don delude myself into thinking that Everton manager, under whom Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta play for six years, go take points off Manchester City as tribute and favour to his former captain.
City fan Brobyn talk say I really believe at one point that this was season too soon for this evolving, young Manchester City squad. Nobody dey more surprised say City still dey title race than me. Period of sloppy draws don follow by powerhouse performances against Arsenal twice, Liverpool and Chelsea. But I believe final games of title race fit still spring surprise results.
Manchester United content creator and co-host of Rio Ferdinand Podcast talk say this was supposed to be Arsenal title. For 200 days, e look like e go be. But Wednesday night, Erling Haaland score im 35th goal of season after five minutes at Turf Moor, and Manchester City go top of Premier League for first time since October. Arsenal 200-day lead don disappear, just like that, to team wey three weeks ago look like dem don run out of steam.
I be Manchester United supporter. I get no dog for this fight. So honestly, watching this title race from outside don be one of most entertaining things Premier League don produce for years. Not because football don always brilliant. Because absolutely nothing don go way anyone expect.
Title felt done. Football journalists don already dey write Arsenal end wait pieces and file dem for publication on whatever Sunday e become official. Then Bournemouth beat dem at home. Then dem lose at Etihad to goals from Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland. Then last night, City beat Burnley, and Arsenal 200-day stint at top don finish.
Now dem get no tie-breaker advantage. If two clubs finish level on points, goal difference and goals scored, City win title because dem don win more points for head-to-head matches this season. Arsenal hold none of cards. E be case of who blink first, and I think Arsenal go blink.
Mikel Arteta don take Arsenal close, and im deserve some credit for that. But im performative coaching on sideline, im cringeworthy tricks for training, dem point to man wey dey feel pressure. Im so worked up, I think e dey translate to pitch.
While title race don be main event, Chelsea don dey provide most genuinely extraordinary sideshow for Premier League history. Three managers for 16 months. Seventh for table. And my personal favourite stat of entire season: five consecutive league games without scoring, first time wey don happen to Chelsea since 1912.
If I get to pick one result wey change everything, e go be Southampton beating Arsenal for FA Cup quarterfinal. Southampton dem relegated previous season. E no cost Arsenal title by itself. But e be first moment where you look at Arsenal and think: Something no dey quite right here.
City get Everton away, Brentford at home, Bournemouth away, Crystal Palace at home and Villa at home on final day. Arsenal get Newcastle at home, Fulham at home, West Ham away, Burnley at home and Crystal Palace away on final day when dem go face club wey best player, Eberechi Eze, leave for Arsenal for summer and go dey return to stadium where im career dem make.
Arsenal also get Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid to go through. City get no European football. Dem rested, dem focused and Haaland get 35 goals this season with five games still to play.
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