Arsenal’s falter title charge will be tested once again be tested when Southampton visit on Friday.
It’s hard to believe that the Gunners aren’t favourites anymore to win the league especially when you know that they haven’t lost in nine matches.
Their last two matches have seem them draw 2-2 despite leading 2-0 and now City are ready to pip them at the post.
City face Arsenal next week full of vigour after breezing past Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Arsenal have been great against bottom half opponents with seven straight home wins and 27 goals.
The Saints have a miserable record in London and last won away 27 attempts ago.
They are struggling in the relegation fight too. They are four points off safety and are without a league win in six matches. Their most recent setback – a 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace – proved particularly damaging and left manager Rubén Sellés admitting with seven games to go that it was becoming “more difficult” for his team to climb out of danger.
Gabriel Jesus has hit the ground running following his return from injury, scoring four goals in his last three matches – three before half-time.
Frenchman William Saliba, who has impressed this season after returning from a loan spell with Marseille, has not played for a month and manager Mikel Arteta is concerned.
“The picture hasn’t changed from last week. Regarding William, we still have to wait a little bit more,” Arteta told reporters on Thursday.
“He is not progressing as quick as we hoped. It’s a bit delicate and we want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and the risk.
“At the moment that’s not possible to do.”
Alexander Zinchenko has a groin injury and Arteta says the former Manchester City player “needs some more time to heal”.