Footballing Weekly: Man City, Arsenal showdown at Etihad to determine EPL title fate

SINGAPORE — It is undoubtedly the match of the season - one that will most likely determine who will win the 2022/23 English Premier League (EPL) title.

Arsenal make a daunting trip to Manchester City's Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening (26 April), barely hanging on to their lead atop the table, knowing that anything less than a win would mean their rivals will have a clear path towards their fifth title in six years.

Already, the Gunners have lost the irresistible momentum that they engineered early in the season. Three consecutive draws - against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton - had suddenly whittled their once-comfortable lead to just five points, with Man City also having a game in hand.

That makes the Eithad showdown of paramount importance. Pep Guardiola's side have a better goal difference, meaning they can afford a draw and still overtake Arsenal should they win their extra game.

The Gunners, on the other hand, will have to somehow dig out a win to seize back the initiative, at an arena where City have lost just once in the league this season.

It does seem like a mammoth, seemingly insurmountable task for Mikel Arteta's men, who have wobbled under the unfamiliar pressure of being in their first title chase against the relentless Man City winning machine.

What they can cling on to is history - Arsenal won the 2002 EPL title after going to Old Trafford, home ground of the mighty Manchester United, and coming away with a victory courtesy of Sylvain Wiltord's winner.

They will hope to be inspired by that memorable win, and also by Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus - ex-City players who know what kind of temperament it takes to win the title. Meanwhile, they will also need to work out how to stop the near-unstoppable Erling Haaland, as well as the in-form Jack Grealish and Kevin de Bruyne, to subdue City.

It is a tall order, but Arsenal owe it to themselves to pull out all the stops, given that they have been the surprise pacesetters for much of the season. It is tough to maintain their superb form throughout the 38-match slog, but no one had even predicted their title charge.

One more push for this unlikely season for Arsenal. Can they do it? The odds are stacked against them, and it is time to prove they can be worthy EPL winners.

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