Arsenal hoping for Man City favour in title race

LONDON : Manchester City are not used to playing a supporting role in a Premier League title drama but Sunday's home game against leaders Liverpool at least offers Pep Guardiola's inconsistent side the chance to grab centre stage again.

Fourth-placed City's hopes of a record-extending fifth successive Premier League title have long since gone as they trail Liverpool by 17 points.

The scale of their decline was highlighted by a 6-3 aggregate defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League this week, although last week's 4-0 drubbing of Newcastle United showed City are far from a spent force.

Second-placed Arsenal will certainly be hoping City view the clash with Liverpool as a chance to shake off any lingering Champions League hangover.

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side will have taken plenty of encouragement from Liverpool dropping two points in a 2-2 draw away at Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Arne Slot's reaction after the game was one of frustration that the door had been left slightly ajar.

Arsenal are eight points behind Liverpool but now have a game in hand and can exert some pressure on Slot's side by beating West Ham United at home on Saturday.

Should Arsenal win and Liverpool lose at The Etihad, the gap would be down to five points with Arsenal having played a game less. The title race would then very much be on.

Two draws in their last three games have hardly set the alarm bells ringing at Anfield, but Slot's demeanour at Villa suggested he would have liked a bigger advantage.

"The fixture list for us now is a few difficult ones in a row - that's what you have to accept," Slot, whose side host Newcastle United next Wednesday, said on Thursday.

"The good thing is that we are not behind someone, we are still number one and that's the